The Snake and the Lioness
by Katrin Sather
Summary: After Voldemort falls, the Order remains to fight the many Death Eaters that avoided Azkaban. Due to the drop in numbers from the war, and inbreeding among pure-bloods, the Ministry passes a marriage law. Severus Snape is forced to marry returning seventh year Ceridwen Sheridan to keep her safe from the Death Eaters. AU b/c Snape and most of the Order are alive, EWE. Some humor.
1. Prologue: Bumping Heads Already

**A/N:** Obviously, nothing belongs to me; everything/one but Ceridwen (and maybe another OC or two later) belongs to the brilliant Jo Rowling, I'm just playing with them :) And with that said, this is my first marriage law fic and I'm a bit nervous, so if anyone is feeling generous, please leave me some tips :)

**Prologue: Bumping Heads Already**

Ceridwen was leaning her chair back on two legs, as was Sirius on her right, listening to the rest of the Order have a heated discussion about the next attak on the Death Eaters. The Golden Trio was to her left, the remaining Weasley siblings across from them, and the others, with the exception of Snape, who had his arms crossed, looking thoroughly annoyed at being there, were standing near the opposite end of the long table in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place. No one was able to agree on whether or not they should carry out the attack, one half arguing that if they did it within the week, the targeted Death Eater nest would still be weak, and the other claiming that they would probably have extra forces in place in the event of a second attack. Remus and Arthur, though on opposing sides, were the only people participating in the debate who kept cool heads.

The Order's owls arrived then, thankfully breaking up the argument for the moment, the short main story would send everyone into some sort of fit once again.

**_Ministry Announces Marriage Law!_**

_Due to a severe drop in numbers during the Second Wizarding War and pure-blood inbreeding, the Ministry of Magic has passed a marriage law applying to any witch and wizard between the ages of 17 and 65. The terms of the law state that engagements must be approved by the Ministry by the end of this month, August 31__st__, and weddings must take place before January 1__st__. Anyone who has not gotten an engagement approved in the allotted time will be matched with someone. Couples will be required to be expecting a child or to have already bore one by the following New Year._

_The Marriage Law also states that pure-bloods may not marry other pure-bloods unless the Ministry is able to confirm that the witch and wizard are not closely related enough that their union will be considered inbreeding, and that muggleborns must marry either a pure- or half-blood._

_Widowed witches and wizards are exempt from all parts of this law, and any of-age student of Hogwarts is exempt from the conception aspect until graduation, after which he or she will have one year to conceive or bear a child._

Surprisingly, Remus was the first to lose his temper, slamming his copy of the _Daily Prophet_ onto the table, and Tonks gripped his arms and murmured that it was going to be okay, gradually settling her husband down. Arthur took a deep breath and gripped his own wife's hand, not too worried about his own children because they were all spoken for, but shaken nonetheless.

Sirius disregarded the story completely, as he was in his first steady relationship _ever_ after returning from the Veil. With a grin, he decided to tease his old rival, Snape. "Got a lady on your mind, Snivellus?"

The Potions Master sneered, ignoring the man.

Remus took it upon himself to take charge of the situation as the papers were passed around and nearly everyone made some sort of noise conveying shock, outrage, or dismay.

Ceridwen had just let the paper fall to the table and dropped her head onto her arms, which had remained on the wooden surface. Sirius patted her shoulder good-naturedly while Harry squeezed one of her hands, attempting to offer comfort. She squeezed it back.

"Alright, are there any students in the Order who are unspoken for?" Remus called, bringing the room's attention to him.

Ceridwen raised the hand that wasn't holding Harry's, forcing her head up as well. It was sorely obvious that she was the only one. She held back a groan. _Fantastic_, she thought as people immediately began to fire off names, not paying any attention whatsoever to who spoke.

"Fred can marry her, right?"

"Sorry, mate, Cho might hex me."

"What about George."

"Blimey, mate, I've only been with Angelina since my fifth year! She'd _Avada Kedavra_ me for sure!"

Snape flinched.

"Is Neville with anyone?"

"Yeah, Luna."

"How about Ron?"

"Oi! I'm right here!" She couldn't help recognize Hermione.

"Harry, then?"

Ginny repeated Hermione's indignant reminder.

Sirius was the one to point out the only remaining option, whose head was bent as he pinched the bridge of his nose, having already come to the conclusion that he was it. "Snivellus," he said, voice falsely sweet, "got any ideas, old friend?"

Ceridwen whipped her head right to stare, wide-eyed, at the Professor, and Snape wordlessly jinxed Sirius' chair's legs to break. "When will you learn, Black?"

Sirius picked himself up off the floor, charming his chair to fix itself and warily settling on it again—and left all four legs touching the ground.

"Severus," Molly chided, "that was uncalled for!"

"That would be a matter of opinion, Madame."

"Close your mouth, love, you look like a fish," Ginny quietly suggested from across the table.

Ceridwen's mouth closed with a soft _crack _as she clenched her teeth. The Order unconsciously disregarded anything she might have to say on the matter after that point, and she found that she no longer wished to hear them discussing her fate as if she were their collective child and Teddy's age rather than seventeen years old. She knew, however, that no one would let her leave, so he let go of Harry's hand and crossed her arms, vaguely noticing that Snape was being equally ignored.

After a full ten minutes, the man who was now supposedly her fiancé spoke up, tired of listening to the gaggle of fools debate his life away. "Do any of you dunderheads give a damn about either of our opinions on this, or are you going to continue to act as if we're just willing to accept it so quickly?"

Silence fell. As Snape had  
expected, they turned to Ceridwen rather than him, but he forced himself to be patient; it was only logical that it be her decision, in the end.

But she had frozen under the sudden pressure of so many eyes watching her, waiting for a response of any kind.

He sighed. "Well done, everyone, you've turned her into a bloody frightened deer."

"Well, then, you should be perfect for each other, doe-boy," Sirius quipped, annoying everyone with his insensitivity.

Severus only jinxed the man's chair to break again as his heart gave a painful lurch, triggering everyone to go on talking again as if they'd never stopped.

"Oh, will you all just shut the hell up!" Ceridwen shouted, her voice managing to echo slightly.

Severus snorted, amused when her amber eyes once again widened with all eyes on her. "Speak up, girl, you have no excuse to be shy now," he sneered when she didn't speak.

She whipped her head in his direction again, causing her night-black hair to fly into her face, actually impressing him with the glower she aimed at him. "Don't start with me, Professor."

The twins sniggered, tossing in some rather rude but also rather funny comments. Well, funny to nearly everyone but Severus and Ceridwen.

"My apologies, _dear_," Snape drawled, much to the further amusement of the room's inhabitants.

"Well, I gave you fair warning," she muttered with a sigh. "_Langlock_," she said with a quick wave of her wand.

_Oh, bugger me. Damned girl._

"Cat got your tongue, Snivellus?"

Snape reminded Padfoot once again that the chair-breaking jinx was wordless, and the man crashed to the floor for the third time in half an hour, muttering a string of obscenities.

"Was there something you wanted to say, Ceri?" Arthur asked kindly. He and Molly thought of her as one of their own, along with Harry and Hermione.

The girl took a deep breath. "Is there any other option for us? I don't relish the idea of marrying my professor, much less having children with him, and I'm sure he's sitting there plotting revenge on me for that little trick already, besides trying to figure a way out of this…arrangement."

"Well," Remus began, furrowing his brow and leaning on the table, supporting himself with his hands placed flat on its surface, "since you're a half-blood, you could really marry any man you want, but I know you see the sense of marrying within the Order or its allies, yes?"

She nodded.

"Good. The only problem, and I mean no offence, is that Severus is the only male member of the order who is included in this ridiculous law who is single."

"Fu—"

Harry clapped a hand over her mouth.

Severus rolled his eyes, wishing like hell that the damn spell would wear off so he could speak again and glaring at the girl with everything he had.

When she saw it, she glared right back before a slow grin turned up her lips. "Speechless, are we? Surely I couldn't have offended you that badly." Expecting his jinx, she rose before her chair collapsed. "It's ruse to jinx a lady's chair."

"Severus Snape! Behave yourself!" There was Molly again, playing mother hen to the lot of them.

The dark wizard was glad to feel the spell fade. "She's not a lady, she's my student."

"I'm you're sodding fiancée, Snape."

"That's Professor or sir to you, girl."

"My deepest apologies, _sir_, for offending you so." She stood once more to sweep his a low, disrespectful bow.

He bit his tongue.

"Looks like you're gonna have your hands full, there, Professor," George piped in, dissolving into more sniggers with his brother.

"She's right wild, that one," Fred added.

"Thank Merlin I have experience breaking wild spirits, then," he hissed.

Ceridwen quirked an eyebrow at him, arms crossed again. "I'd say you're getting rusty, then, Professor, seeing as you haven't managed to come anywhere near succeeding with me."

"Headstrong Gryffindor."

"Belligerent Slytherin."

The rest of the Order just watched them bicker, heads moving back and forth as if they were watching a tennis match. Sirius vacated his seat to avoid the line of fire, taking up a spot next to Tonks and Remus.

"At least I live up to my House."

She rolled her eyes. "Have you _not _met the Golden Trio and the Weasleys? Not to mention Padfoot over there. Obviously, I live up to mine as well as you do."

"Fine, then. You're just a willful, foolish girl."

"Better than a cradle-robber."

Snape's eyes turned to black fire as the others in the room either gasped or tried to hide giggles of laughter.

Ceridwen bit her lip. "I'm sorry. That wasn't fair."

"Gold-digger," he snapped, a mischievous glint replacing the fire.

Ceridwen grinned.

"Alright, you two, that's enough. Can't have you killing each other before you're even officially engaged."

The arguing pair groaned at the same time, making those who heard, which was nearly everyone, laugh again. "For the sake of my sanity, Remus, do not utter that word," Severus ordered.

"I second that," Ceridwen added.

"Already obedient, are we?" Severus provoked.

Ceridwen quirked an eyebrow again. "Not_ even_ in your dreams."

"Nobody wants to hear about his dreams!" the twins chorused.

"I imagine not," Snape retorted, "as they'd likely send you running for the nearest cliff."

"That dirty, eh?" George said.

"Goodness, Snape, did you plot the whole thing to get the pretty Gryffindor to your bed?" Sirius finally chimed in.

Ceridwen blushed, and her friends minus Harry glared daggers at the man. "That's a bit much, Padfoot, you know he's not like that."

Severus turned on her, though, rather than his old rival. "I do not need to you to come to my _rescue_, girl."

"Seems to me you did, or would you prefer Missus Weasley yelling at you again for hexing him?"

"I can fight my own battles."

"Oh, shove off and just accept help for once."

They went off on another tangent of bickering as the rest of the Order rolled their eyes, no longer amused at the "couple," and Remus summoned a piece of parchment, a quill and an inkwell to start on their engagement proposal, sending his owl off with it a few minutes later. When he returned to the kitchen, no one had bothered to interrupt Severus and Ceridwen's arguing.

"Bumping heads this much already; this is going to be a disaster," Tonks predicted quietly.

"They'll kill each other in a week," Remus muttered in agreement.

Sirius snorted. "I give them a day."

**A/N:** lots of dialogue, I know, but that's just how it came out. Please review! :)


	2. Chapter One: Errands

**Chapter One: Errands**

One week later, the Order was having another meeting. They'd forgone the attack on the Death Eaters, as Remus had finally seen the sense in Arthur's argument about not going through with it. None of the students knew what this meeting was about, as they had been dismissed to the sitting room along with the twins, but if the indistinct shouts of Snape were any indication, it was about their engagement or the marriage law in general.

Their point was proven when he stormed into the room, halting the light banter the seven of them had fallen into.

"Miss Sheridan," he said, enunciating each syllable, and it was clear to them all that he was barely in control of his temper, "Moony wants to talk to you." He was burning a hole in her forehead with his stare.

"Thank you, Professor." She rose from her spot between Fred and George, passing Snape as she walked toward the kitchen, brushing against him when she passed through the doorway because he refused to move for her. She swung the kitchen door open, wincing at the sound of Snape slamming the door rather violently. "Okay, which of you—Sirius, what did you do?" she snapped when she caught the Animagus smothering a laugh, which only served to make him laugh harder. Arthur was glaring at him from across the room.

Remus fought a smirk of his own as he explained, "Sirius asked what Snape wanted to name the children."

Ceri smacked them both on the arm, and for once Tonks didn't complain about someone going after her husband.

He picked up on it, too. "Oh, no. Even Tonks isn't amused." He turned to her, grimacing at seeing that her hair was a brilliant red.

"You both should be more mature than this by now. Remus, you're married and you have a son, and you've become a kind of leader to the Order alongside Arthur. And you—" She whirled on Sirius, who sobered the instant her molten gold glare was turned on him. "—you were stuck between dead and alive for a full year. You have a godson to take care of, regardless that he is of age, as well as two other witches you've taken under your wing. Grow. Up."

After her lecture, both men looked appropriately admonished. _Serves them right._

"Now, what is it you wanted, Remus?"

"Just to make sure you've been handling your…situation…well this past week. We're all worried about you."

Someone's owl swooped in.

She softened. The Order was her family, it was all she had left after her mother died and Hermione let her send her father to Australia with her parents. "I think I'm taking it rather well, actually, but I also haven't seen him since last week, besides when he told me you wanted to talk to me. I haven't really had to face it yet."

"Well, looks like you'll have to face it now," Arthur announced, walking a small roll of parchment over to her. "It's from the Ministry, addressed to you."

_Miss Sheridan,_

_ We congratulate you and Severus Snape on the _

_approval of your engagement. Please remember_

_that you have until New Year's day to marry._

_ Kingsley Shacklebolt_

_ Minister of Magic_

"Ugh. I hope poor Kingsley doesn't actually write all of these."

"What is it?" Sirius inquired.

"A congratulations letter from the sodding Ministry."

"He probably has some sort of charmed quill that does it for him," Arthur said.

"Yeah. Well, thanks for checking on me. I'm going to go back to the sitting room with the gang." To various farewells, she turned for the door, stopping before she was actually out the door to turn around and face Remus and Sirius again. "By the way…sod what Professor Snape says about fighting his own battles and whatnot. He is my fiancé whether either of us likes it or not, and if I ever catch any of you making fun of him again, you will be in St. Mungo's for the rest of your lives. I may not want to marry him, but I will not tolerate anyone harming what is _mine_."

They could only nod and watch her leave, awestruck; Snape had said almost the exact same thing, minus the personal threat to them, during his discussion with the three men, when they'd asked if he was sure he was willing to go through with everything.

She reclaimed her place between the twins on the couch, both of whom draped an arm around her. Ginny was wrapped securely in Harry's arms, and Hermione was leaning on Ron, for once at ease. Harry asked what Remus wanted to talk to her about, but she only told him the part about asking of she was alright, not realizing that they'd all caught the end of her threat.

Someone apparated straight into the small sitting room. The three girls squealed in shock and mild fear, and the boys drew their wands while simultaneously moving to shield the girls.

"Bloody hell," Ron finally breathed. "Be careful where you apparate, mate."

"Be careful who you aim your wand at, Weasley," Snape retorted. All wands dropped and the girls came out from behind their would-be protectors. Severus looked at each teen in turn, stopping on Ceridwen. "You. Come with me."

She quirked and eyebrow, along with everyone else in the room. She would have laughed at that had she not felt like he was ordering her around. "Where are we going?"

"Spinner's End."

"What for?"

He exhaled sharply, fixing her with a glare and clenching his teeth for a moment. "Why do you _think_, Sheridan? You know I do not live here."

She blushed. "Oh. Right. I suppose…the Ministry will expect us to be living together."

"How very observant of you. Now, get up, I haven't got all day to wait for you to make up your mind. We have errands to run."

She smiled ruefully to the friends that were brothers and sisters to her and took the arm Snape offered her. With no further warning, he apparated them to a grey street before the front steps of a house that she assumed to be Snape's home on Spinner's End. He led the way to the door, temporarily removing the wards to allow them access.

Books. Every wall was covered in bookshelves that couldn't possibly hold more than they already did. The small sitting room at the front of the house was more like a library, with its two armchairs, an end table between them, a lamp, a desk facing the front window, and a fireplace, all surrounded by books on three walls. A small hallway showed a door leading to a drawing room, nearly the same as the sitting room but with a loveseat in place of a desk, and again surrounded by bookshelves. Snape's study and personal lab were across the hall behind locked doors. Apparently she wasn't to go into either of them without him. His kitchen was small and looked like he never sued it, which would be changing—she'd never been able to grasp how to charm things into cooking for her.

He didn't show her his bedroom, as he rightly assumed that she would want to sleep in separate rooms until a child prevented them from sleeping separately. The room that would be her sanctuary in the small house contained a canopy bed with an emerald green duvet with matching pillows, a black wingback armchair, an ebony bedside table, and an equally dark dresser that was home to a lamp. Her study was small and contained only a window looking out onto the street, a desk, a chair and stationary equipment, but she didn't mind; she could add to it later if she wanted. He showed her the bathroom last, and then hurried her back downstairs.

Once he'd donned his robes, and she hers, he apparated them to Diagon Alley, taking off before she had a chance to let go of his arm, for which she was grateful, otherwise she would have lost him in the throng of people bustling about. He took her to Gringotts first to arrange for all of her funds to be moved to his account on January 1st, and then whisked her right back out.

"I was informed by Nymphadora that an engagement party is to be thrown at the Burrow next weekend for half the Order, and then Molly walked in and bloody ordered me to take you shopping for something to wear," he told her, having to place his mouth at her ear so she could hear him over the crowd. Soon after, he steered her to the left and all but shoved her through the doors of the little boutique. "Molly also mentioned it's supposed to be rather cool that night, so get something floor-length, but other than that, pick out what you want, don't worry about the price; I assure you that money will not be an issue for you for the rest of your life. I will be on the other side of the store looking for dress robes Molly would deem appropriate. Should you finish before me, I'll be easy to find."

Ceridwen nodded, and he drifted to the men's side of the store, leaving her to her own devices. A saleswoman asked if she'd like some help, so Ceridwen asked if she could tell her what her measurements were and if she could bring out dresses fit for an engagement party. She'd much rather be shopping with Ginny and Hermione, but she would probably be able to tag along whenever they bought their dresses.

The poor saleswoman brought out at least ten dresses for Ceri; she couldn't decide which one she wanted, and she was starting to think she might walk out empty-handed. Snape came over while Ceri was twisting around to see the back of a black sheath she had put on for the third time.

"Have you found one yet?"

"No," she snapped, annoyed beyond thought. She stepped off the little dais and back into the changing room. "I have ten bloody dresses back here, and none of them look right on me. Ugh, I'm ready to walk out and come back another day."

"Stay there for a moment. I believe I saw something on my way here that might suit you, and it looks about your size. I'll be right back."

She waited impatiently, roughly taking the dress he passed under the door to her. She freed it from its protective plastic and slipped in, barely managing to zip it on her own; she'd sent the saleswoman away ages ago, so she had no help.

Ceri emerged from the changing room, going straight for the little dais. The dress was a dusty emerald green with a wrapped bodice, held up by a single strap in a white rose design peppered with crystals, which also started just below the center of her chest and trailed to the left side of her ribcage. She spun to look at the back, delighting in the way the excess chiffon flowed freely around her, looking almost like it was caught in the wind.

"Well?" Snape prompted.

"I love it, actually. It's perfect. Thank you."

"Right, then, go change and I'll pay for it and my things, and then we're heading home."

Her newly bright mood disappeared. After changing, she reminded him half-heartedly that she still needed shoes jewelry to go with the dress, at which he grunted and waved her off to go find them, waiting impatiently for her return. She selected a simple crystal necklace, bracelet and earrings, along with a strappy pair of white heels. Once he paid for everything, she grasped his forearm and he apparated them to his house for the second time.

She stared at it for a moment before he realized she hadn't followed him to the door. "What are you gawking at? Come on."

"Sorry, I just don't think of the Snape family residence when I hear the word 'home.'"

He pursed his lips. "Well, start. This house is your new safe haven."

She barked a laugh as she entered the place, again struck by the number of books he owned, and heard him close the door behind her. "I will never be able to think of this place as a safe haven, Professor, I'm sorry."

Snape smiled sadly, not needing to be warned that if she told anyone he had smiled at all, he would swiftly have her committed to the mental ward at St. Mungo's. "You are marrying a professor, Miss Sheridan. Word will get out eventually; not many will be accepting of it. Rita Skeeter is going to run with it. People will ridicule us both, and this place will be the only peace you have. It _will _become your sanctuary, I promise you that, if for no other reason than people are cruel."


	3. Chapter Two: Speculations

**A/N:** thanks for the awesome reviews so far! I will, of course, be updating as often as possible :)

** Swirlypasta:** I can't, ohmygosh, I'm dying! XD my grandmother is looking at me like I'm nuts XD

**Chapter Two: Speculations**

Ceridwen was impatient for the next week, desperate for Friday to come to she could be among her friends again—and among people who would willingly speak to her. She bustled about the small house in Cokeworth, England, cleaning unnecessarily between reading her fiancé's books because there was nothing else to do. She was probably infuriating with her constant rushing around every other day, but she didn't care anymore. If he was going to lock himself in his study or lab all day and refuse to acknowledge her very existence, she'd do what she bloody well pleased.

_Pigheaded Slytherin. _

He surprised her Wednesday night by joining her in the sitting room with a book.

She stared at him for a moment, then blurted in a shrill voice, "What are you doing here?"

Severus looked at her with a scowl. "I live here, if you haven't noticed."

"Actually, if I didn't already know, I wouldn't have thought you lived here for the past week. You've been hiding away in your study or lab for, what, six days? Awfully rude, if you ask me, ignoring your sodding fiancée for nearly two weeks straight."

He snapped his book shut and dropped it on the small end table. "You appear to grow bolder each time we talk, Miss Sheridan.

She rolled her eyes. "Perhaps you forgot I'm a Gryffindor and friends with Hermione Granger? And I _am _named after the goddess of poetry; perhaps she bestowed some her eloquence on me as a reward."

"I'm sure your mother and father are absolutely _thrilled_ about that," he said dryly, picking up his book again.

Her face fell; she twisted her hands together in her lap and spoke quietly, "My mum was killed because I snapped at a Death Eater without thinking. My father blames me—_passionately_ blames me—and…he's right to. So, no, I imagine they're both rather disappointed by my sharp tongue." She left the room to prepare dinner in the small kitchen without a second look at him.

Snape stared after her, feeling like a fool. He'd known all that, but he'd spoken without thinking. Berating himself for his stupidity, he followed her into the kitchen after tossing his book in the chair he'd occupied.

"Miss Sheridan, I—"

"Don't, please. I honestly don't want to hear it," she said as she roughly opened and closed drawers and cabinets in search of what she needed. Finally, she scoffed and growled, "_Accio _mixing spoon!" before addressing him again. "You of all people should have been able to hold back from a comment like that, with the father you had. Granted, mine only started hating me when Mum died…" Her eyes showed a faraway look for a moment and she swayed on her feet. She shook herself. "I'll get over it. Just leave me alone. I'll let you know when dinner's ready."

He left her standing at the counter, gripping its edge. Pinching the bridge of his nose as he walked, he started up the stairs to change into his nightclothes.

"Snape!" she called.

"What?" he yelled back.

"Quit calling me Miss Sheridan! At least when we're alone. It's annoying. I mean, for the love of Circe, we're bloody engaged."

"As you wish…Sheridan."

He heard her groan and chuckled to himself, reaching the top of the stairs. He didn't bother closing his bedroom door as he changed; they were alone in the house, as always, and she was busy cooking—Muggle way, for some strange reason. If he'd been paying attention, though, he would have heard her quietly ascend the stairs. If he'd bothered to listen, he would have heard the feather-light sound of her footsteps halt at his door and turned to see her staring at him with a wistful expression clear on her face. He would have heard her soft sigh of disappointment as she thought about their future, forgetting what she'd come upstairs for in the first place.

_Any children we have will never know what it's  
like to grow up with parents that love each other. They're never going to get to know their father beyond the harsh and demanding Potions Master. He'll never even be around enough to raise them, will he?_

Severus tugged his shirt into place and turned around to head back downstairs, almost running into Ceridwen. Frowning something vicious, he opened his mouth to spit an annoyed comment at her, but his words fled him when he saw the moisture in his eyes. The protector in him reared its head. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? I didn't feel anyone break the wards."

"N-Nothing. Just some frightening thoughts, is all."

"Alright, if you say so…is dinner nearly done, then?"

"Shit!"

He shook his head as she raced back to the kitchen. Whatever she'd had in the oven was burnt beyond repair, so he charmed some things to cook for them rather than let her start all over again. He _did _have it in him to be a gentleman, after all; he just did his damnedest not to show it.

By midday on Friday, Ceri was sure Severus would drive her to madness. "Will you hurry up?" she called up to his room from the front door. "If we're late because you can't remember how your bloody robes go on, I will murder you!"

He made a few frustrated noises, but didn't directly answer her. She huffed and stomped up the stairs.

She found him standing at the foot of his bed, decked out in black dragonhide boots and black slacks, black dress shirt, and a black waistcoat. All she could make out of the robes were that they were primarily silver, with green and white designs covering it. Easily catching one of the sleeves, she worked out which side was which and held it up for him to slip his arms through. Once he had it settled, she could see that green snakes were intertwined with white ones all along the edges and seams of the fabric.

"You look brilliant."

"Don't toy with—" Snape had finally turned his gaze on her, then, having kept her out of his direct line of sight while she was helping him.

The dress he'd found for her looked as perfect on her as it did they day he bought it, but she'd added a silver necklace with a simple, clear crystal point pendant and matching earrings, as well as a bracelet, smaller versions of her pendant ringing her left wrist. Her midnight hair was mostly pulled back in an off-center, partial up-do of some sort. She'd curled it somehow, and a few strands had escaped to frame her face and flow halfway down her back.

He stammered a bit. "I assure you, no one will be looking at me."

Her cheeks colored. "Thank you, sir."

Snape nodded once and offered her his arm, disapparating them from his home to the Burrow when she took it. She didn't let go as they crossed that yard to walk through the open door to be greeted by Ginny.

"Well don't you know how to clean up!" Ceridwen gushed to the red-head, who wore a floor-length, sapphire-blue gown of the same material as her own, with a sweetheart neckline and silver accents on the straps, along the line of the bodice, and in a simple but elegant design on her back. The only jewelry she wore was silver-and-blue earrings, not that she needed anything else. "You look gorgeous!"

"Thank you, so do you! Lord, this dress is fabulous!"

Hermione arrived then, and all three's eyes widened at her strapless crimson dress with a slit up the left side, stopping halfway up her thigh and met by an intricate, black lace pattern.

"What?" she asked.

"I can't even begin to predict what Ron will do when he sees you," Ceridwen answered.

"I think I know," Ginny added with a wicked grin.

"Ginerva Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed, scandalized.

The boys—conservatively dressed in black slacks and blue and red dress shits to match their dates, came to say hello to the newly-arrived, stopping in their tracks when they saw Hermione, and Ron muttered, "Bloody hell…"

"Oh, stop it! Let us come in."

The five of them meandered their way through the house, giving out their greetings and compliments and such. Ceridwen split from Severus' side as soon as was socially acceptable to talk to her two girlfriends.

"Okay, spill," Ginny said the moment they were safely in the back yard, out of Snape's hearing range at their place next to the buffet.

"The only time we've even talked since the last Order meeting was two days ago. He's always hiding in his damn study or playing in his lab. Hell, I hadn't even _seen _him until Wednesday night, either!"

Hermione made an indignant noise. "Rude. You'd think he would at least be civil to you!"

Inside, Severus was standing with Minerva with a drink in his hand. She wasn't engaged due to her exemption from being a widow, but she'd come to support her friends and students. Snape was venting to her as low as he could.

"I swear, Minerva, she's going to drive me up a wall."

"Now, Severus, you've got to at least _try _to have a relationship, even if it's only as friends," the older witch reasoned.

"_She is insufferable_," he said hotly through clenched teeth. "I've barely ever gotten a response from her that wasn't some witty remark or another—"

"Sounds like a wizard I used to teach," she interrupted with a pointed look.

"I was different," he argued.

"How so?" Minerva challenged.

"Well, for starters, I…I didn't…"

The headmistress raised an eyebrow.

He swore. "Alright, fine, she's just as sarcastic as I am. So what? I was friendless—she's the entire Weasley clan wrapped around her finger, plus Potter and Granger. And you, I'm sure." He crossed his arms, careful not to spill his wine, regrettably the strongest drink he could find.

"I still think you should try to befriend her. After her mother's death and the way her father treated her…she deserves a platonic marriage, at the very least. And so do you, for that matter," Minerva told him sternly.

"So glad you added me on there at the end." As if her parental issues were so much worse than his? His father had terrorized him and his mother for years; her problems were only just beginning.

"Severus," Minerva chided, guessing his thoughts, "in her mind, she carries the blame for what happened, you know that. I know you can see past the happy façade she puts up."

Oh, he saw it, and he heard it, too. She cried herself to sleep every night, but he wasn't the type of man who knew how to handle crying women, so he let her be. _That's probably not such a good idea, now that I'm thinking about it…_

The three girls were interrupted by the twins, who each claimed one of Ceri's sides, glasses of wine in their hands, bright smiles on their faces.

"Oh, no, I know those faces," Ginny said. "What are you scheming?"

"Nothing, actually, just came over—" George began.

"—to see how our adopted sister's doing—" Fred continued.

"—with the bat of the dungeons." George finished.

Ceridwen chuckled before repeating her story of the last week, with Ginny and Hermione adding the few details there were. The twins fabricated dramatic reactions of outrage before descending into giggles, but then voiced true concern for their friend. She assured them that she was fine; she could handle Severus Snape when he stuck to his usual snarky comments. Sadly, however, they also asked if she'd been coping any better with the traumas from last year. She'd sent her father plenty of letters, but hadn't had a single response in months; nightmares of her mother's death still taunted her in her sleep. No, she was not coping any better, unless on counted her ability to simply hide her grief from everyone else. At that admission, each of her friends took turns hugging her and giving her various words of advice or comfort.

"We're sorry, dearest—"

"—feel free to come stay with us—"

"—if you need somewhere to go."

She smiled sadly. "Thanks, guys, that'd be lovely."

Harry and Ron rejoined their dates when they were sure all the girly talk was over with, and the group of teenagers wandered around the Burrow, trying to forget about the reason they were all there in the first place.

Severus watched her from the back door as dusk settled around the house, one hand stuffed in his pocket, no expression on his face or in his eyes. She was breathtaking, he had to admit that; even next to Miss Granger's rather out of character choice of dress and similar hairstyle, in his opinion, she outshined every woman there that night. He wondered if he could ever give her what Minerva so adamantly insisted she deserved. He wasn't sure he could ever really think of her as his friend, but maybe he could be one to her. She _had _gone through a hell of a lot with the Golden Trio, short of hunting Horcruxes with them; instead, she'd stayed behind with the rest of Dumbledore's Army, keeping the students up to par on what they so desperately needed to know in order to survive, even while he was headmaster.

She was clever, that one.

Arthur joined him at the door, following his gaze. "That girl is spectacular, Snape. You're actually quite lucky, if you ask me. I've never met anyone else with such a passion for life, or a more protective nature."

"What do you mean, Arthur?"

"Oh, you should have seen her in the Battle of Hogwarts, firing off curses so fast I thought she'd stumble over her own words whenever she was cornered." He paused and gave a short, single bark of laughter, sounding incredibly proud as he went on to say, "And then she went and took right painful curse for a group of first years caught in the fray. Once she found them, she never left them. If Bill and Fleur hadn't been around, she would have died defending them."

Severus didn't reply right away, instead choosing to study his fiancée, both arms wrapped around Fred and George while each of them had an arm draped around her. He found himself biting back a low growl of possessiveness. "She's a right piece of work, isn't she?"

"She really is." The red-headed man suddenly turned to Snape, looking serious. "Severus, that girl has no blood family left; she's a daughter to me and a sister to all of them. You'll take care of her, won't you?"

He didn't look at the man, but Arthur knew that only because he was carefully choosing his words. "As I said before, I protect what's mine. Be that from rogue Death Eaters or the darkness of her own mind, I will do everything in my power to keep her safe, whether she wants me to or not."

"Thank you, Professor."

"And…" Severus whispered; Arthur strained to hear him, "any and all children we have will not want for anything. I daresay I'd even love them." His head snapped around to peer at the other man, eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare repeat that to anyone. Not even Molly," he ordered sharply.

"Of course, Severus."

Ceridwen didn't show it, but she felt Severus' stare like fire on her skin. With a warning to not be obvious about looking, she told her friends she thought he was watching her, and they each confirmed her suspicion with surreptitious glances to see who the tall figure in the doorway was. A debate as to why was sparked and then fed when the Weasley patriarch joined him.

When the sun finally sank below the horizon, they all returned to the house. Ceridwen said reluctant farewells to everyone she knew well before grudgingly returning home with her fiancé, this time not noticed how he watched her or the way his eyes lit dangerously every time she hugged one of the males goodbye.


	4. Chapter Three: Tears of an Angel

**A/N:** this one's a little bipolar, just so you know

**Chapter Three: Tears of an Angel**

Severus apparated them home in a foul mood. Ceridwen didn't know what on Earth could be his problem or if his attitude was because of her, so she didn't talk to him as they went to their rooms to get settled and take showers. She let him go first; he seemed more in need of the hot water than she was at the moment. When she heard him turn the water off, she shook her hair out the rest of the way and reached for the zipper of her dress, but she couldn't remember how she'd gotten to it before.

"Uh, Professor Snape," she called awkwardly when the bathroom door opened. "Could you undo my zipper, please?" She put her back to him in the doorway, afraid to even look at him in case he declined.

He sighed. In a few seconds, he was pinching the top of the back of her dress and dragging the zipper down until it stopped at her hips. Cold air hit her bare skin when he let go, allowing the fabric to fall open.

Expecting him to have walked away already, Ceridwen slipped the one strap down and off her arm and turned around, smacking into him. He was still wet, a towel wrapped low around his hips was the only thing he had on. Severus stared down at her wide, amber eyes a moment before he spoke.

"You know…" he drawled, "You've got this thing called a wand. You can use it for all sorts of magical things—undoing the zipper on your own being one of those things."

"I guess I didn't think of that," she said nervously.

He leaned down to put his lips next to her ear. "You should have," he breathed. "I know you're not naïve enough to believe that even helping a woman with something as simple as a zipper does not put thoughts in men's heads." A single long, pale finger traced a path up and down her arm. "Especially men with no proper clothes on."

She blushed furiously and shivered. He was toying with her, right? He had to be! No professor in his right mind would think of a student that way. But then again…they'd be married soon enough. He was basically exempt from normal professor behavior where it came to her. "I'm sorry, sir, I wasn't thinking."

He straightened and left her standing there, looking baffled. "I thought as much," he called over his shoulder before shutting his bedroom door.

Ceridwen tried not to faint in the shower and avoided looking at him for the next few days. He teased her relentlessly about the little incident, and she let him, having suddenly lost her Gryffindor courage. However, when her embarrassment wore off and annoyance took its place, she finally gave him a devious smirk instead of a blush. He'd been sitting at one end of the sofa in the drawing room, while she was in an armchair. Slowly, she rose from her seat to kneel on the sofa next to him. His smirk had long since disappeared, and she could tell he was trying to keep his face blank as she moved closer and closer, biting her lip.

She felt evil, but she knew he'd see it as mostly-playful revenge and nothing more. Their noses were nearly touching as she purred, "Now, why would a man as sexually disinterested in his fiancée as you are remember what color her bra was…five days ago?" Of course, it'd been a rather bright color, but he had honestly confused her there.

"It wasn't exactly subtle," he muttered, breath becoming ragged now that she was practically straddling him.

Her smirk turned into a full-on smile. She glanced pointedly at his heaving chest. "It seems I've remembered how to…entertain…a man's thoughts, wouldn't you agree?"

He swore.

"Thought you would." She went back to her chair, still smiling.

"_That _was not fair, Sheridan."

"Okay, for the tenth time today: _Ceridwen_. And neither was ambushing me with your almost-nakedness the other day."

He snorted. "Oh, sure, because asking me to undo a zipper that long doesn't have 'seduce me' written all over it."

"It didn't!" she insisted. "I just couldn't reach it!"

"You managed just fine in the fitting room."

"Yes, well, I forgot how I reached it that time. _Sue me_."

He rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, I'd rather marry you. Going against Ceridwen Sheridan in civil court would be a nightmare."

She beamed. "I do believe that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Don't get used to it."

She widened her eyes, giving him the best puppy-dog eyes she could manage, and said, "But you're supposed to be nice to me." She made her lip quiver.

Her fiancé was not fooled; his leer made that obvious. "I don't think you can handle my version of 'nice.'"

Ceridwen felt her cheeks heat. "What makes you say that?"

"Your blush."

"Not fair!"

"'All's fair in love and war.'"

"Oh, so you love me now?"

He gaped, feeling awkward, but why he did not know. "Of course not."

"Of course." Checking the time, she stood again to leave the room. "What would you like for dinner?"

"Honestly?"

"Um, yes?"

"As long as you make, I do not particularly care." He rose to follow her to the kitchen, finding that he didn't want to be alone at the moment. For some reason, he cycled through feeling antisocial and wanting company at random. This turned out to be the latter.

"Wow. At least I can do one thing right in this."

"'This'?" he inquired as he claimed one of the two chairs at the small dinner table.

"Ah, 'this' being…us, I guess. I've never been good in relationships; just ask the others." She rummaged around his refrigerator to find what she needed for chicken and cheese quesadillas and chipotle sauce. "You could probably say in truth that this stupid marriage law saved from life as a spinster."

"Or a Weasley. The twins seem rather fond of you."

She chuckled, preparing the chicken to go in the oven "Oh, please! Even if I liked either of them that way, I wouldn't have a chance. They call me 'sister' in some way, shape or form every day I talk to them."

Severus leaned back on the wall, greatly amused that she didn't see what he did. "Witch, you have that entire family wrapped around your finger, and you don't even know it. Even Potter and Granger were gravitating to you at the party." Damn, he hadn't meant to let her know he'd been watching her.

"I put myself in the middle on purpose. I may have a strong wand, but rowan wood and unicorn hair are loath to perform Dark Magic."

Good, she missed it. "I heard you were cursing Death Eaters rather easily."

"I carried another wand with me to use against anyone or anything of the Dark that might come after me." She started on the sauce, and then his comment a moment ago registered. "Wait. You _were _watching me! What for?"

"Curiosity."

"That's not what the gang said," she replied in a sing-song voice.

"Pray tell, what did 'the gang' say?"

She took the chicken out of the oven to started cubing it. "Oh, nothing, just that you might like your situation after all—or, at the very least, that you don't _dislike_ it."

"On the contrary—I dislike it entirely. And before you get your feelings hurt, no, it's not because of you."

Ceri faced him and leaned back on the counter, waiting for the cheese to melt enough. "Who are you and what have you done with Severus Snape? You've given me two half-compliments this evening and we've just had a normal conversation."

"Gods. You're taming me." He smirked. "Is that done yet?"

She twisted to check, then turned all the way around and levitated the food onto two plates. "Yes, just let it cool down on its own. Using a charm cools it too quickly."

The food had just lost enough heat that it wouldn't burn their mouths when someone knocked on the door. Ceri volunteered to get it, but Severus held his wand ready from the sitting room. She opened the door to reveal a balding, plain-looking man in Muggle clothing.

"Miss Sheridan?"

"Who wants to know?"

"I'll take that as a 'yes.' I just have a few questions for you. May I come in?"

"Questions about what? And you're not stepping foot through my door until I see some proper identification, sir."

Severus held back a grin. He was only easy when she wanted to be.

"My apologies, Madame. Agent O'Reilly of Scotland Yard." He showed her his badge.

Severus hurriedly put away his wand as Ceridwen ushered the man into the house and led him to the drawing room; he closed the door behind them, politely waiting for Ceri to introduce him. O'Reilly glanced at the taller man, clearly nervous. Severus chuckled low in condescension.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Agent O'Reilly, this is my fiancé, Severus Snape."

"Fiancé?"

The couple scowled, both insulted by the thinly-veiled disgust in his tone and the look he threw Ceridwen's way. Severus mouthed, "Legilimens," too low for the man to hear, entering his mind smoothly. Once he got past the infuriating thoughts at the front of O'Reilly's mind—which mostly consisted of assuming Ceridwen was pregnant—he found what he relaxed in knowing the shorter man was just rude, not deadly. It took only half a second.

"Yes, I am her fiancé, and I love her more than anything in this world and I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself," he snarled.

"You'd do best to listen to him, Agent. His temper is not something to toy with. Why are you here?"

"Has he hurt you?"

"Sir, if I have to ask you why you're here a third time, _I _will hurt you," she said sweetly.

O'Reilly huffed like a five-year-old. "You know your father worked in the guard before he moved to Australia."

"Point being?"

"He's informed us that he'll not be remaining in Australia."

"I only have so much patience. Get on with it, O'Reilly, or I'll have Severus toss you out the door."

"He specifically requested that you never follow him there."

"Excuse me?" Severus finally spoke up.

"Well…"

"Spit it out, man!" he roared.

"Basically, he's disowned her. My reason for visiting was also to make sure she had a place to live with someone related to her in some way." When Severus opened his mouth, he quickly added, "You count! A fiancé is on the list of people allowed to house her, per her father's orders."

Ceridwen's head was in her hands, elbows resting on her knees. "Why are _you _telling me?"

"I was his partner. Everyone thought it would be right."

"Fine. Please leave, sir."

Severus escorted him to the door, hearing Ceridwen race upstairs and slam her door. He rushed after her; he couldn't ignore the cruelty of what her father had just done. He easily broke her wards, as they were weak from the despair flooding through her. He found her curled into a ball on her bed, alternating between sobs and desperate mutterings that she had to be dreaming or O'Reilly was a liar. He stood at the foot of her bed, not knowing what to do.

Out of nowhere, she sprang upright and smiled at him as if he was the most amazing person in the room. "_You _wouldn't lie to me! My father didn't disown me. O'Reilly was lying."

Severus choked up for a moment. She might not be the most emotionally stable in the world, but this…this level of hysteria was a bad sign. "No," he eventually breathed, his voice breaking on the small word. "No, he wasn't lying."

"Oh, gods…" She crumbled before his eyes, curling into a ball again. A silent scream preceded her sobs as she pressed her arms into her abdomen; he knew that small action made her feel like she could hold herself together, keep herself from breaking, by forcing the pieces of herself to stay in place.

He gingerly sat on the edge of her bed to stroke her hair; it was the most he knew to do. Clearly not thinking about who he was, she attached herself to him as another sob shook her and dragged him onto his back, clinging to him for dear life. He let her cry into his shoulder, tentatively circling an arm around her. When it was evident that she would not let him go any time soon, he pushed his boots off with his feet and slid the rest of the way onto the bed, managing to do it in a way that didn't sever her hold on him. He used his wand to rid them of their outer layers and move the blankets of them, and stroked her hair some more until she fell asleep, following suit not much later.

Ceridwen woke the next morning feeling like someone had cut out her heart and for once _not _excited about the Order meeting scheduled. She could tell Severus was already awake; she propped her chin up on his shoulder to study him, and he studied her.

"I guess it wasn't a nightmare, after all," she whispered.

He shook his head. "What can I do?"

"Nothing." Her voice was flat; she laid her cheek back on his chest. "What time is it?"

"Around eleven fifty, I think. You were restless last night, so I kept you asleep as long as I could. We should leave in a few minutes."

"Okay." She ambled around her room in search of clean robes as he went to find clothes for himself, too. Five minutes later, she hugged him around the waist for him to apparate them to Grimmauld Place.

Her friends knew right away that something was wrong, but Severus' warning look kept them from bombarding her. He covered her ears and quietly told them, "Her father's former co-worker paid us a visit last night. She's been officially disowned."

They all gasped at once, again trying to go to her.

Severus kept his hands over her ears. "No, not now. Trust me, she won't let me go no matter what you do." He gently urged her to shift her hold around him so they could walk to the kitchen. Molly was the first to see them, but knew well enough to leave the girl be and just moved two of the chairs close together for them. Severus nodded his thanks, letting his fiancée remove her one arm from around his back and cuddle into him again. Pulling her legs onto his lap so she wouldn't get too uncomfortable, he lulled her into sleep the way he had the night before.

The others waited patiently, their eyes burning to know what could be so wrong as to cause the dour man to let the whole Order see this side of him.

He repeated what he'd told her friends.

"Poor girl," Remus sympathized. "She loved him so much, and now to be so betrayed…" The werewolf shook his head in disapproval. "That isn't right."

"How could he abandon his daughter like that?" Arthur wondered, astonished.

Sirius went to his old rival's side to study the girl. "That horrid man should count his blessings that he isn't here. I'm sure we'd all take turns killing him."

"After driving him mad with Cruciatus Curse," Snape declared.

"I didn't realize you cared for her this way," Molly said.

"You didn't see her last night, Molly." He described how she'd acted when he followed her to her room. "And then, this morning…It's like she's dead inside. And then this." He gestured to her sleeping form curling around his like he was her lifeline.

"Merlin's beard, what happened?" Tonks exclaimed.

Severus shushed her, glancing down to make sure his charge didn't wake. "She had a rough night. Will one of you tell her? I've already told the story twice."

"Can I help Snape hunt down her father and torture him into madness?" She asked sfter he finished.

"I like her," Severus stated, pointing to Tonks.

"Great gods! Did Snape just say he likes me, or am _I _mad?"

Remus smiled and tugged her hand until she sat down next to him.

Snape carefully lifted Ceridwen in his arms to claim the sofa in the sitting room, which Granger and Ginny Weasley relinquished for him, also supplying him with a pillow to put between his arm and the wooden armrest to it didn't fall asleep on him. He answered the volley of questions they threw at him to the best of his knowledge, almost smiling when Fred weaseled himself into a spot on the couch at Ceridwen's feet to hold them in his lap and George sat on the floor next to Snape's legs, as close to her head as he could get.

Silent tears rolled down her face in her sleep; he wiped them away with his thumb. Every so often she would stir, but he would stroke her hair, skim his finger tips from her temple to her collarbone, or tangle his hand the hair above her left ear to calm her—he'd learned a lot about keeping her asleep the night before—but when none of those worked, he would trace her lips, and she would relax.

He didn't notice her friends looking at him with expressions that made it obvious they were marveling at how well he handed her, and nor did he notice most of the rest of the Order standing in doorway when she was being particularly difficult to placate, all thinking that something was happening between the two, unseen and unspoken.

Severus Snape was going above and beyond his promise to protect her from her own mind—he was caring for her, setting aside his own social reservations to make sure she got the sleep she needed.

_She'll rip my reputation to shreds_, he thought, and instantly regretted it. _No, that's not fair. Maybe it's time I drop the act, anyway. Maybe she's an angel sent to change me. _He internally laughed at himself, wiping more salty tears from her face. _Right. Tears of an angel. How cliché. But I'll be damned if I'm ever the cause for her to cry._


	5. Chapter Four: Recovery Begins

**A/N:** Sorry for the slight confusion in the last chapter. I couldn't think of a comment for Severus to say that showed he remembered the color of her bra, so I just started in the middle of the conversation (which I'll probably do a lot of). As far as the "thoughts in men's heads" comment Severus makes, that was the best way I knew how to word it. Thanks for pointing those out, **Swirlypasta** :)

Thank you everyone else, too, for the wonderful reviews :) I love you all! :P Also, this chapter is named after Fireflight's song.

**Chapter Four: Recovery Begins **

When Ceridwen woke from her three-hour nap with no improvement, Severus opted to keep her at Grimmauld Place for the last two weeks of summer. The twins were glad to sacrifice the only two-bed room in the house for them, but he told them to keep it. He wasn't keen on the idea of sleeping in the same bed as Ceridwen again, but she clearly needed a massive amount of human contact; sleeping in different beds was out of the question, though he was loathe to admit it, and she couldn't sleep with someone else—his possessive nature wouldn't allow that.

He was already at his wits end by the end of the second day, seeing no change in her. The girl was never alone—if she wasn't fixed to his side, she was with Tonks, Granger, Potter, or one or both of the twins—and yet he still got the impression that she felt dead inside. She hadn't spoken a single word, either. He didn't know what to do, and he didn't know why he cared so much. The Weasleys, who had volunteered to stay at the Order headquarters to help him with his broken fiancée, didn't know how to handle her, either.

Then, that Saturday, Molly barked at her youngest son to get a move on as he picked at his breakfast. The boy snapped awake, finished his food, and rushed up to his room to get dressed for whatever his mother had planned for him to do that day. Snape flashed back to before he and Lily were accepted at Hogwarts—she'd done the same thing to him when he was down or refused to speak to anyone; it worked every time. She'd make some wild, false accusation to get his attention, he would retaliate by instinct, and they both just brushed off the insults, knowing none of them were said with true malice.

That was before the argument in which he'd called her a mudblood, though. That, she couldn't forgive, and he didn't blame her. After all, he probably wouldn't have, either.

He left his chair to pluck Sheridan from Tonks' side, calling over his shoulder, "I'm sure you're all about to hear a lot of yelling. Don't let it alarm you—it's for her own good," as he took her to their room. He didn't see it, but he was sure Potter was glaring daggers at his back.

She stared vacantly at the floor when he set her on the bed; when she noticed no one was touching her, she looked around, confused, and found Severus standing in front of her with his arms crossed. She said nothing, just turned her gaze back to the floor and fell onto her side.

"Snap out of it, girl!" Snape ordered sharply. "I will not have _my_ fiancée moping around about something so insignificant."

She _tried _to glare.

"I will not say it again," he stated, voice hard. "You're being extremely immature about it, you know."

"What would you have me do, then? Act like nothing happened? I was just sodding disowned by the one person left on this planet who was supposed to love me unconditionally!"

"There are other people—people _in this house_—who love you beyond compare, Sheridan! What would they say if they heard that?" Apparently she didn't include him as one of those men. That was interesting, considering he was practically required to love her now. _It's because she knows I never will_, he decided.

"They would bloody support me!" she screeched. "They would tell me it's going to be okay and that they love me. A few of them would probably offer to go after him!"

Evidently, she hadn't heard Tonks ranting and plotting with Sirius, Bill, and himself. "Then why are you so concerned about your father when you _clearly _have a much better family here?" he demanded.

That brought her up short. "I-I don't know…" Her face fell. He could see her retreating into herself again.

"Don't," he murmured. She looked up, the line between her eyes a silent question. "Don't do that, if for no other reason that I can't take it anymore." _Best to let her take that however she wants._

Sheridan blinked and stared at him.

He stared right back.

"Fine," she relented quietly. "Um…thank you."

"Yes, well…" Snape trailed off, turning on his heel to leave the room and descend the stairs.

Ceridwen entered the kitchen cautiously, almost fearing the reactions everyone would have. No one saw her at first, but then the twins spotted her.

"Merlin's beard!" George exclaimed.

"Ceri's back!" Fred followed.

"Would you like some breakfast, dear?" Molly asked.

"I ate earlier, Missus Weasley," Ceri reminded her with a light, lopsided smile.

"You barely touched your food. And I still insist you call me 'Molly,' or even 'mum' if you want."

Everyone's eyes widened. That was the first time Molly had added the "mum" part out loud, plus they were worried just the word itself would set Ceri off again, though she proved them wrong,

"Thanks...I don't know what to say, really."

"You're welcome, dear. Now, eat a real breakfast this time, okay?" The Weasley matriarch set a plate of toast, eggs, and sausage on the table next to her. Ceri settled in the chair to eat, surprised when her stomach growled loud enough for everyone to hear.

"You've not had much of an appetite for the past week," Remus remarked as explanation. "Understandable."

"A few of us have been planning revenge," Tonks added with a conspiratorial smirk at Snape, Bill, and Sirius, "if that vile man ever returns."

Ceridwen half-grinned. "You'll have to fetch me if that ever happens. I'd like to watch."

The Auror's smile grew. "Wouldn't let you miss it for the world."

"Greatly appreciated, Tonks."

"Any time, Ceri."

"Why didn't we get invited?" Ron complained, gesturing to his siblings, both blood and adopted, except for Bill.

"Because we called dibs when Tonks brought it up," Sirius replied.

"And they needed someone to keep an eye on them," the oldest Weasley son said, eyeing the other three.

"I do not need a babysitter, Weasley," Severus snapped.

Remus snorted. "Right."

"Got something to say, Moony?"

"Yes, but this one," he nodded in Ceridwen's direction, "will give me a permanent home in St. Mungo's if I say it. Thus, my lips are sealed."

Snape quirked an eyebrow, glancing at Ceri before saying to Remus, "You do realize the core of her wand is unicorn hair, don't you? And that it's made form rowan wood?"

"'Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn,' is all I'm saying."

"Oh, for the love of Circe. Sheridan couldn't hurt a fly!"

"I disagree with you there, mate," Sirius countered.

Snape raised an eyebrow again. "You two cannot be serious."

"Nope, just me. He's Remus."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. Everyone else laughed at the bad joke, but Ceridwen gave Snape a pitying look.

"You walked right into that one, I'm afraid," she said when the room quieted.

"Indeed."

"Severus, when are you stealing our Ceri away to the school?" Arthur cut in.

"The thirty-first. Oh, bugger." His gaze found Ceridwen. "I forgot to tell you that, didn't I?"

She thought a moment. "I think you mentioned it a few nights ago, but I'm not sure. Sorry…"

He scowled. "For what?"

"Not remembering."

He waved her off. "I didn't expect you to remember anything I or anyone else said to you for the last week."

"Oh…" She finished off the last bite of her eggs and took the plate to the sink, where it washed itself thanks to Molly's charm.

"What was all the yelling about, by the way?" Tonks inquired.

"It woke her up," Severus explained. "It infuriates her whenever I get after her about anything."

"And that's just when he's being facetious."

"It's ten times worse when I'm serious."

"I nearly bit his head off."

The Order gaped.

"What?" Ceridwen asked.

"The two of you—" Fred started.

"—sound like us," George finished.

The odd couple's gazes locked in both horror and astonishment, much to the amusement of Fred and George, by whom the collective descent into sniggers was started.

Snape and Sheridan, of course, avoided everyone's eyes in embarrassment.

Ginny huffed and grabbed Ceridwen's arm to drag her from the room, pulling Hermione along as well when they passed her. Ceri threw Severus an apologetic glance, since he had no such friends to do the same for him.

The red-head tossed both older girls onto the couch in the sitting room and sat between them. "You're welcome."

Ceridwen chuckled. "Thanks." She rested one hand on the fabric of the couch as the walls tipped sideways.

"So," Hermione started, angling herself to face her friends, "what's it like living with Professor Snape?" she asked, no doubt trying to distract her friend with gossip—not that she wasn't curious, of course.

"It's quite easy, actually. He's very low maintenance, I guess you could say—and apparently adores my cooking." She blinked rapidly a few times, trying to make the room stop spinning; she was getting lightheaded.

Neither girl bat an eyelash that she cooked the Muggle way; they knew how horrible she was at Molly's charms. Ginny had an altogether different question, anyway.

"He said that?" Her blue eyes couldn't possibly get any bigger.

Ceri explained the part of their conversation about a week ago where he'd said he didn't care what was for dinner, just as long as she made it.

"Snape's in love!" Ginny shrieked, giggling.

"Hush, you!" Hermione admonished. "You know he's not!"

"He loves Harry's mum, Ginny."

"I know," the sixth-year conceded dejectedly.

"Tell us more," Hermione chuckled, rolling her eyes at Ginny.

"Arguing is his favorite past time, though I'm sure you both could have guessed that." She paused, deciding what she should tell them. "Well, that's really all we've done since the dress incident after the party, but—"

"Oi, slow down! What dress incident?!" Ginny demanded.

Ceridwen felt heat rise in her cheeks and knew her face was bright red. "Oh, well, just, you know, I asked him to undo the zipper right after he got out of the shower, without thinking. I didn't think he would still be behind me when I turned around, so I already had the damn thing down to my waist when I did…" Her hearing was going weird, like she was wearing earmuffs.

They gasped. "What did he do?" Hermione asked.

"Basically, he accused me of trying to seduce me and called me hot at the same time…I think."

"He did not!" Ginny exploded.

"Shh!" Hermione said again.

"He did," Ceridwen confirmed. "And then he teased me about it for nearly a weak!"

"What made him stop?" Hermione questioned before Ginny could.

"Dad's former co-worker…"

"Drat, I'm sorry!"

"It's alright, 'Mione." She forced a smile on her face as Ron, Harry, Fred, and George entered the room, putting an end to the gossip.

Snape watched Remus and Sirius arguing, glad they were finally done with _him_. Sirius had turned on him the second everyone else was out of the room, earning nothing but sarcasm in return, before Remus jumped in with encouragement for Sirius to watch his tongue before Snape had enough and drew his wand, or worse—told Miss Sheridan.

Severus saw that for the nasty jibe it really was.

He didn't understand why either of them continued to try his patience when they knew he was a former double-agent and Dark wizard who could magically flatten them both in a millisecond. Remus confused him the most; he was the silently appointed leader of the Order, and he was setting the precedent that it was alright to show disrespect to a fellow member (unless, of course, they needed to keep some kind of cover, like Snape once needed to do).

Remus and Sirius were giving him a headache. Why couldn't they both just shut up? He'd go to his and Sheridan's room, but he would still be able to hear them, so there was really no point. Snape rubbed his temples, eyes squeezed shut, tryin not to lose his temper on them both.

Fred Weasley's panicked voice put an end to the conversation. "Hey, somebody get in here!" he cried, leaning through the slightly open door. "She fainted!"

"Who?" Sirius asked, him and Remus hurrying to follow.

"Ceri!"

Snape bolted from his chair and reached the door first, since he'd been closer. "What happened?" he bellowed.

"I don't know! One second, we're all talking and she's putting on a brave face for us, and the next, she's falling off the couch and onto George!"

His fiancée was, in fact, awkwardly collapsed in George's lap. Her head was on his bicep, with her arm pinned between her body and his forearm and her legs folded inelegantly, as if she'd been kneeling when she fell.

"At least you caught her," Sirius commented; he didn't know what else to say.

"Did she show any symptoms before she fainted?" Remus inquired.

As Severus knelt next to her to check her pulse and temperature, making sure her condition wasn't dire, her friends gave Remus variations of, "No," and, "I don't know." Her pulse was fine, but her temperature was low despite the sheen of sweat on her brow, and a subtle tremor was shaking her entire body every few moments. He scowled. She was reminding him of how he'd been after Lily's death; he'd barely drunk or eaten for the first week and had started trembling and sweating from low blood sugar due to missing so many meals. If his stomach hadn't started twisting itself inside out, he knew the lightheadedness and dizzy spells would make him faint soon enough.

The line between his eyes deepened. She'd eaten breakfast not half an hour ago; her blood sugar shouldn't have been a problem, even if it was still low. She shouldn't have fainted.

"Uh, Snape," George said, "you're getting a little scary-looking there."

Severus cleared his throat and stood. "Get her up on the sofa, will you?" He paced the small amount of room available, everyone watching him intently—and warily. His black robes billowed behind him, flowing out as far as they could whenever her turned.

"Did she drink anything today?" Snape and the twins asked at the same time. Severus pretended to ignore that, somewhat unnerved by it, and waited for an answer.

"I don't remember seeing her drink, no," Granger said.

"She's dehydrated," Remus concluded.

"Did she ever mention headaches or anything?" Sirius questioned.

Snape shook his head. "I'm sure she had them, but I imagine she's been numb this week. There were a few times when her hand or arm hit the wall while I was taking her to bed or somewhere. I could tell it hurt, but she never so much as flinched."

"Why couldn't you just levitate her?" Potter demanded.

"Harry," the Weasley girl chastised.

"You know very well she was in need of human contact, Potter. Don't get snippy with me just because you can't accept that I want nothing to do with her in that way," he snapped, guessing the reason behind the boy's irritation.

Potter crossed his arms, but let the matter drop.

"_Accio _cup," he said, extending his hand for it and using the _Aguamenti _charm to fill it. Wordlessly, he levitated it to a small end table; he would have her drink it the moment she woke.

The Weasley twins absently played with strands of her hair as they all awaited her return to consciousness, setting Snape on edge. He knew very well she had no feelings for them and that they both were engaged, but the wave of possessiveness that overtook him at witnessing that small, easy interaction was staggering. He crushed it. _You're being ridiculous. They're both engaged. So is she._

_Yes, to _you_. What a strong case to persuade her to remain faithful with, _his mind quipped.

_Bugger off._

"What happened?" she groused, pressing a hand to her face.

"You fainted," Remus explained.

"From what?"

"Dehydration."

Severus summoned the cup to him and kneeled next to George, holding it out for his fiancée. "Here," he said quietly, "drink this. Unless you'd rather faint again."

Frowning, she shakily took the cup from him. George held his hand under it as she drank in case she dropped it, causing Snape to grit his teeth. He should be the one taking care of her in small ways. He should be the one to whisk her out of the room to save her from embarrassment. He should be the one she found solace in, not her room in his house or her friends.

The mischief-making Weasley twins weren't supposed to be her best friends; that was Severus job, and he was failing miserably at it. _Not that you've been trying, you foolish man._

"Severus, what's the matter? You look like you've caught someone cheating on a test or something," Sheridan observed.

Snape chose to stand instead of answering her right away, knowing anything he said could and would be taken differently by all who heard. He replied with, "You've knowingly deprived yourself of nearly all food and drink for a week, to the point that you've blacked out. What do you expect me to look like, Miss Sheridan?"

She quirked an eyebrow, an action she'd taken to performing more often since she'd been living with him, and completely overlooked all but one part of his short speech. "How many times must I tell you to call me by my first name, Severus?"

"How many times must I tell _you t_hat I do not take orders from my students? I must convey my admiration, by the way, at your ability to shut out the more important matter at hand," he groused.

She rolled her eyes as he wondered how a witch with a rowan wood wand with a core of unicorn hair could have such a sharp tongue. "I've started eating again today, haven't I?"

"Yes, but—"

"Oh, hush!" she shouted, effectively silencing him with her outburst. "Why must you insult me in order to tell me you're worried? And don't deny it, because I know you are, even if it's just the smallest bit, otherwise you would have let the others deal with me."

The slightest amount of color was creeping up his neck at being scolded so harshly by her. And with her black hair and pale skin, she nearly reminded him of his mother. He shook his head quickly to rid himself of that relatively disturbing thought. "Miss Sheridan—"

"Ceridwen!" Her eyes were gold fire.

He gritted his teeth. "You are on thin ice."

She left that sofa to stand before him. "Actually, my dear fiancé, it would seem that _you _are."

"Alright, alright, you two. Take your lover's quarrel elsewhere or let it go," Remus interrupted.

"We are _not_ lovers!" Snape and Sheridan yelled at the same time, and then glared at each other, both ranting in their heads about how insufferable the other was.

"I would seem as though our Ceridwen is recovering nicely already," Sirius said into the silence.

"Oh, she's yours, now, is she?" Severus asked before he could stop himself.

Sheri—Ceridwen crossed her arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He stammered for a split second before deciding to simply leave the room. "Recovering, indeed," he muttered to himself. But he couldn't help wondering if her new, snappish attitude was as much of a shield as his own.

**A/N:** not the most exciting chapter, sorry. If anyone's got any ideas about where they'd like to see this story go, please let me know :)


	6. Chapter Five: Wedding Plans and Schoolya

**Chapter Five: Wedding Plans and Schoolyard Bullies**

"Ugh, I can't _believe _the nerve that man has!" Ceridwen vented once the crack of disapparition informed them all that Snape was gone.

Sirius cocked an eyebrow. "Really? He pretended to be a Death Eater for twenty years and you find it hard to believe he's got _nerve_, of all things?"

She just glared at him.

He raised his hands in surrender. "Just makin' a point, love."

She let it go; she didn't have the energy to keep picking fights. Besides, Sirius hadn't done anything—Snape was the one irritating her, like he always did.

She fell back onto the couch between Fred and George, her two best friends in the world and her partners in crime before they graduated, now that George had gotten off the floor and they'd made room for her; each draped an arm across her shoulders after she made herself comfortable.

Ron shook his head, eyebrows slightly raised, and Ginny just stared in awe.

"What?" Ceridwen asked, confused. "Am I missing something?"

"It's just that…" Ron trailed off, not knowing how to put in words what he was thinking.

"It's like you're really their sister sometimes, that's all," Ginny filled in for him.

"Mum's got some explaining to do!" The twins chorused.

The other Weasleys rolled their eyes, but everyone else chuckled.

"Seriously, though," Ron insisted, "you two treat her like you treat each other. It's bloody scary sometimes, the way you read each other's thoughts and react exactly the same."

All three shrugged, but before they could answer, Ron and Ginny pointed and exclaimed, "See!"

"Hmm. Maybe I'm the half-sister none of you knew about," Ceri joked with a very twin-like, mischievous smirk.

"What's all the laughter for in here?" Arthur asked as he entered the room.

"Nothing!" the twins and Ceri claimed, and immediately descended into sniggers.

Arthur rolled his eyes with a shake of his head, taking a rolled-up piece of parchment from his pocket as he walked to where the presently laughing trio sat. He held it out for Ceri, explaining, "Snape's owl just came with this."

She took the parchment, seeing that her name was written on it, and frowned. Why would he send an owl when he could just apparate here? Her question was answered in the note itself. "Did his owl not wait for a reply?"

"No, why?"

"Because he's asking if I'll go home for dinner tonight—"

"He adores her cooking, apparently."

"Ginny! He's asking if I'll go home for dinner tonight because he wants to discuss something with me and he'd rather not have an audience. He'd offer to have this discussion earlier, but he's just been informed that O'Reilly—" She choked on her words, having not expected to ever be forced to suffer mention of O'Reilly again.

"What's wrong, Ceri?" Fred asked, both he and George moving their hands to grasp one of her shoulders in gestures meant to comfort, not understanding the reference to O'Reilly.

"N-Nothing. O'Reilly's g-going to the house to ch-check up on us, or something. M-Make sure we're really engaged, the note says." She took a calming breath, thought it did little good. "S-Severus is just going to sh-show him his mum's engagement ring and m-make a big show of b-being excited about giving it to me."

"Who's this O'Reilly character?" George questioned in her left ear.

"The g-guy who used to w-work with my f—my fa—"

"It's alright, love," Fred murmured. "We all understand."

"It's good that he's letting you stay here while…that guy…visits," George added cautiously.

"Yeah, I guess." After writing a response that she was grateful he was going to let her stay there and that she would apparate home for dinner and handing the parchment to Remus for him to send off, she leaned into Fred, grateful when he wrapped his arm around her again as she gripped George's hand tightly.

Remus, Arthur, and Sirius all retreated back to the kitchen as the rest of them chattered quietly, Ceridwen giving the bare minimum of attention required to keep up with the conversation. Every now and then, one of them would fire a question at her just to make sure she wasn't turning catatonic again, but otherwise left her alone; they could see she didn't want to talk.

Unfortunately, timed passed quickly, and before she knew it, it was around the time she usually started on dinner for Severus and her when they were home. She reluctantly bid her friends farewell for the time being, promising them that she would drag him back to Grimmauld Place before bedtime, provided their "discussion," which she was dreading, didn't take them well into the night or make her furious enough as to fear splinching herself should she attempt to apparate.

Severus jumped when she apparated straight into the sitting room, nearly spilling his tea all over himself. "Merlin's beard, girl. Were you_ trying_ to make me scald myself, or was it just a happy accident that I almost did?"

"Sorry," she said and bit her lip. "I didn't' think you'd be out here. I thought you'd be in your lab, or your study…"

He quirked an eyebrow, but decided against carrying that line of conversation further. "What'll be tonight, then?" he inquired instead, setting his book on the end table and standing. "You haven't made me anything in a while. I must admit, I rather missed it," he blurted, holding back a grimace when he realized how much he'd said, and how easy it was to say. He knew that she knew that he loved whatever she made, but he hadn't meant to imply that he'd missed eating her food for the past week, or that he assumed she would be preparing the meal, even if she always did, anyway.

Her one-sided smirk told him she'd made the correct inference. "I don't know. I'll have to see what's still good to use."

"I see."

She started for the back of the house, where the kitchen was, and called over her shoulder as he followed her, "So, did your little scheme work? And what's this 'discussion' you don't want an audience for?"

He stopped under the narrow archway that led to the small kitchen, leaning against its frame as he replied with, "He was incredibly nervous to be here with just me."

Sher-Ceridwen snorted. "I wonder why," she chuckled, but he could tell it wasn't a question.

"And I was wondering if you'd started on wedding plans without me knowing somehow, because I haven't heard anything about them from you."

She whirled to face him, eyes wide. "Great Merlin, I completely forgot! Bugger! When will we possibly have time to fit a wedding in before New Year's?"

"Oh, relax. There's plenty of time for it. Just…make dinner and we'll talk about it. That _was_ point of coming here, after all."

"I suppose." She turned around to resume her search through small refrigerator in her fiancé's Muggle-style home, pulling put things she'd need for a salad and a simple, quick pasta dish. She was even able to rope him into helping her a bit to finish mixing the salad while she rescued the pasta from burning in the pot.

"Now, then," she began as they took their seats across from each other at the table, "When do you suppose we'll have time for a…a wedding?" _How pathetic; you can't even say the word, _she scolded herself.

He waited until he'd swallowed to answer her, and there was no doubt in his mind that neither of them wanted to have this talk, but it needed to be done. "I thought it would be quite obvious. There will be plenty of time over the holidays."

She actually earned a small smile from him when she sneered at that. "No. Everyone will be doing that. I'd like my anniversary to be mine, not mine, Ginny's, Hermione's, Luna's, Angelina's—"

"It was merely a suggestion. Don't get your knickers in a twist."

His fiancée's fork clattered onto her late as she burst out laughing.

Severus scowled. "What are you cackling about over there?"

"You sounded—exactly—like the twins!" she gasped between spurts of laughter.

He rolled his eyes, secretly astounded he could make her laugh without even trying. "Indeed. I suppose the black hair and eyes make the charade even more convincing, don't they? Next thing you know, everyone will be so convinced I'm one of them, I'll be running that ridiculous shop with them."

She only laughed harder, clutching her stomach. "Please, stop! I can't—I can't breathe! Sweet Merlin, my sides hurt."

When he said nothing else and just plastered a smirk on his face, she was able to calm down and resume her meal, her cheeks flushed. "As I was saying…did you have a date in mind?" He took a bite of his salad, awaiting her reply.

"Not really, no. Are there any days besides school days that you'll not be available?"

He waved his free hand dismissively. "Just make sure it doesn't fall on a school day. I'll make sure my schedule is clear."

She mumbled something as she shoved some pasta into her mouth.

"What was that?"

She swallowed. "I said, I think Fred or George slipped something into your food this morning."

"Why?" He frowned, genuinely not understanding her comment.

"I don't know, it's just…" She shrugged, avoiding his eyes. "I didn't take you for the considerate type after being in your class for six years." They both grimaced at that. "Oh, by the way, before we really get into wedding talk, what am I going to do about my Potions class?"

"Minerva's persuaded the Ministry to let you stay in my class under the stipulation that she ensures I do not favor you over my other students."

"Fair enough. Now, about the colors…"

They didn't get much finalized that night other than that they definitely wanted to use their House colors as wedding colors—and unable to choose between red/silver and green/gold—and agreeing to keep the ceremony small and private, with only Order members and Hogwarts staff present (Ceridwen reluctantly allowed him to include the Malfoys after Severus argued that Lucius was the only man he knew well enough to be his best man).

He shocked her even more that night by helping her with the dishes, going so far as to order her from the room and let him do them alone. Ceri suspected he was getting the smallest bit protective of her since her meltdown, but didn't want to voice her thoughts for fear of chasing this strange, polite, _kind_ Snape away.

However, he noticed the stares she threw his way as he cleaned the kitchen up. "Why are you staring at me like that, Sheridan?"

She ground her teeth together. "Ceridwen."

"I don't relish the thought of using Legilimency on the woman I'm supposed to marry before the year runs out, so I suggest you tell me." He never looked at her, just kept on washing was drying the dishes. She wondered why he didn't use magic to do it for him.

"Oh, I'm a woman now? I can't count the number of times you've called me 'girl,'" she countered dryly with one eyebrow nearly disappearing in her hairline.

He finally turned to face her with a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Ah, you've forgotten he zipper incident, it seems." Satisfied by the blush creeping up her neck, he faced the sink again. "And I'd rather not call you a girl while I'm talking about marrying you; helps me avoid sounding like a pervert."

"Always some personal reason for the things you do. Hurry up, the Weasleys, Harry, and Sirius will be missing us."

"Missing _you_, more like. All the same, I'm nearly finished." He paused to look over his shoulder. "You don't have to wait for me, you know."

She shuffled her feet, suddenly intensely interested in the tile on the kitchen floor. "I don't mind waiting."

"Mm," was his only response. He dried the last dish and put it back in its cabinet with the others before tossing the dish towel on the counter.

He strode across the room, stopped at her side, and offered up his arm. Still blushing, Ceridwen linked her arm with his, and he apparated them straight into the sitting room of Grimmauld Place, earning the same welcome as the last time he'd done so.

"I don't understand why all of you dunderheads think an enemy could apparate into the bloody sitting room. This house is unplottable," he muttered as he stalked away.

Ceridwen and Severus both managed to distract themselves rather successfully in the last few days before they returned to Hogwarts. Snape mainly listened in on Sirius and Tonks' plots for Ceridwen's father—always with a smirk on his face—and Ceridwen was persuaded to talk about anything wedding related with her peers.

It occurred to her, at some point over these last few days before the start of term, Ceridwen and Severus, Harry and Ginny, and Rona and Hermione were the only couples that ever seemed to spend any time together. When she asked the group about it, Fred and George confessed that they went out with Cho and Angelina nearly every night, and Sirius went out with Esmeralda quite often, but Ceridwen hadn't been in a mind to notice. She felt guilty, but she was shushed before her apology even formed.

When the thirty-first arrived, she and Severus left straight after dinner. Molly fussed over the two so much that even Ceridwen was slightly annoyed, but she hid it much better than Severus to avoid making the woman think she was ungrateful.

It was awkward, for her, to be following the Potions Master to his dungeon chambers, knowing she'd be living there with him according to some ridiculous Ministry decree stating that, under the new Marriage Law, all couples whose engagements were approved were not allowed to live separate from one another. She was just glad Severus had already moved her into his house, but under the suspicion he saw the decree coming.

His chambers were exactly what she expected: not a hint of color where it could be prevented; everything was black, even the walls and carpet. The only color in the front sitting room was the books lining the shelves on either side of the fireplace. Even the doorknobs were black.

"Where am I sleeping, exactly?" Once she'd returned to normal, they'd quit sharing a bed.

He frowned and thought a moment. "I suppose I could transfigure the couch into a bed and sleep there, unless you'd prefer sleeping in front of a warm fire. The only other rooms I have are my bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a small study. There isn't enough space in any of them for even a small bed."

"That'll work, I guess. Can't have word getting 'round that I've been bedded by the fearsome Potions Master, after all," she teased.

He stiffened. Would a rumor like that really be so bad, even though they were engaged? With a defeated sigh, he realized that it probably would. What witch in her right mind would want to shag the Bat of the Dungeons, anyway? Forget about marrying him; he still wondered at the fact she didn't running screaming away from him when the decision was made against both their wills.

Wondering why he hadn't fired back some sarcastic remark or another, Ceridwen glanced at Severus and did a double-take. "What's the matter, Severus?"

He ignored her.

"Come on, tell me what wrong. Don't make me break out the ridiculous nicknames." She crossed her arms over her chest with a determined look on her face.

Severus sneered at her in hopes of getting her to leave him alone, not for one minute thinking she was bluffing about using the nicknames his students gave him.

She sighed, irritated, before beginning. "Sev." The sneer fell away. She'd mean _those _nicknames? Those were even worse. "Sevvie. If you don't tell me what's wrong, I will use every single idiotic pet name I can think of whenever we're around other people until you tell me what's wrong." He stared at her with one eyebrow raised, sensing she was starting a lecture. "We may not like it, but we _are _getting married, and you're going to have to learn to trust me enough to tell me when something is bothering you. And, believe it or not, I've actually enjoyed talking to you in the past few days, when it was just us. I want this to work. I want us to be friends, at the very least, so that our child, or children, will grow up in a loving home with parents who respect and care for each other. And you cannot tell me you don't want the same for it or them." She said the last more firmly, clearly hinting at his own upbringing.

He just stared at her for a few moments, but in admiration rather than amusement or annoyance. "You're much more mature and grown-up than people give you credit for, did you know?"

Ceri huffed out a nervous laugh. She didn't normally go on long rants like that, and she had almost been afraid he would laugh at her. "No, but thank you. So, can I take that as agreement, then?"

Severus nodded.

She beamed. "Good."

Hermione was proudly announced by Headmistress McGonagall as Head Girl the next day, but then received sympathetic looks from her fellow Gryffindors when Draco Malfoy was announced as Head Boy. Most of the remaining Order members that were students—Ron, Ceri, Ginny, and Luna—retained their Prefect statuses from the previous year, while Harry was named Quidditch captain and Neville was happy to be just an ordinary student, with no extra responsibilities.

To save the Head Girl and Boy from too much stress right away, McGonagall had apparently created round schedules for the first week, as the Heads and Prefects found when they retired to their common room after the start-of-term feast. The Heads and seventh-years would be patrolling alone while the others were paired, so they could make sure to keep all the corridors covered.

Ceridwen wouldn't be patrolling until the next night, so she memorized her two patrol times for that week and headed to the dungeons and Severus' rooms.

"You're back early," he commented from the kitchen.

She redirected her path to find him bobbing a tea bag in a steaming cup. "My friends are all on rounds tonight."

"When are yours?"

"Tomorrow and Friday."

"So are mine. I'm sure we can attribute that to Minerva's meddling. Would you like some tea?" He was already pouring her a cup before she had time to answer, adding two teaspoons of honey along with the tea bag.

"I wouldn't put it past her. Thank you. I never realized you paid that much attention."

He shrugged. They took their tea to the sitting room to settle on the sofa, Ceridwen curling her legs underneath her and Severus propping his on the coffee table after pushing his shoes off his feet. He started the fire with wandless, wordless magic, and the place was instantly warmer.

"I pay plenty of attention, Ceridwen."

She smirked, glowing inside.

Her entrance into the Great Hall for breakfast, as well as each of her classes, was met with whispers and sneers, mostly from Slytherins. She hid her confusion by shielding her face with her hair, not sure if it was coincidence or if they were talking about her. By the time she entered her Advanced Potions class at the end of the day, though, she was sure they were gossiping about her when the whispering stopped every time she came within hearing range of their conversations.

She claimed a desk at the front so she wouldn't have to see any of them, which turned out to be counter-productive.

"Why are you sitting up front, Sheridan? Trying to impress Snape?"

"Shove off," she snapped at whoever it was. Taking points or giving detention would only goad him on, so she didn't bother.

"No, I get it: he told you he'd shag you if you got your potion right, and you can show him faster if you're up there."

"Thirty points from Slytherin," Severus said, suddenly striding to the front of the room. "Thank your headmistress for making me late." When he reached the front, he turned to face the class, leaning one hip on his desk. "I see no sense in wasting time with a silly introduction. This is your seventh year in my class, so I expect you to know and abide by my rules. Instructions are on the board. Begin."

Ceridwen tuned out the rest of the class as she worked on her potion, ensuring it was perfect. She didn't hear one pair working near her as they continued to make some rather lewd "jokes" until it was time to let the potion simmer in her cauldron.

"Thirty points from Slytherin, and if I hear anyone else verbally attacking either Miss Sheridan or myself, they will spend every night in detention with Filch for a month," he called without looking up from his parchment. A few minute later, he left his desk to pace the rows of students, examining their progress and making quite a few jump when he barked out some piece of advice or another.

She focused on her potion again, adding the last few ingredients and beginning the required ten clockwise stirs.

"Miss Sheridan—"

Ceri held up her hand to silence him, ignoring the gasps of a few nearby students, so she didn't lose count. "Sorry, Se—Professor. What were you about to say?"

"I was just going to ask if you'd stirred it yet, but you've answered that already."

He resumed his pacing, and she started bottling her potion.

"Mister Corner," Snape said loudly on the other side of the room, "you've just earned detention every day for a month. I will inform Filch, and you will meet him tonight directly after dinner. As it happens, class is now over, so bottle up your potions and get out."

Ceridwen crushed her lips together to keep the smile off her face. _Severus Snape is defending a Gryffindor student._ She stayed behind after turning in her potion to help the other few Gryffindors in the class to avoid having to confront those who had been talking about her during class, and wound up being the last person in the room besides Snape.

"Sheridan," he muttered, his tone implying a warning.

"…What?" she asked warily.

"Why don't you fight back?"

"Because there's no point. Seeing me get worked up only spurs them on even more than when I ignore them."

"Indeed."

She gave him a small, crooked smile. "I'll see you later. Don't start dueling with the students, mind you." She started for the door, but paused when he spoke again.

"And why should I listen to you?"

Ceridwen looked over her shoulder, fully grinning now. "Why, Severus, isn't it always a good idea to listen to your fiancée?"

He raked a hand down his face to hide his own smile, marveling at their easy banter. They weren't like this a month ago, and in no way was he about to complain.

**A/N: **Esmeralda's just an OC, if there was anyone that didn't realize that.

Whew, okay, sorry if that was as unsatisfying as I think it was. I had a few more plans for this, but, well, not all of them fit, so they'll have to wait until the next chapter. Bear with me though; fluff to come :) and Reviews make me happy :)


	7. Chapter Six: Fire Meets Fire

**A/N: **Some Draco bashing in this one, but he'll be redeemed later.

* * *

**Chapter Six: Fire Meets Fire**

By the time she left for rounds that Friday, Ceri had decided to have the wedding on November seventh, the Saturday following Halloween. She was also opted to use red and silver for the wedding colors; she couldn't see Severus enjoying himself even a little with green and gold everywhere.

She stopped just before turning the corner from her last corridor of the night, thinking she'd heard students shuffling past her in the darkness. When she didn't see or hear anything for a full minute, she resumed her path only to barrel into a statue she hadn't known was there. It reached out to catch her, pulling her close to keep her upright, and muttered the _Lumos _charm just before a lit wand appeared inches from her face. Only, it wasn't a statue that was holding her.

"Severus," she breathed. "I didn't know you were there."

"Clearly." He didn't let her go; his hand on her back was warm even through her robes and shirt.

"What are you doing up here? Aren't your rounds in the dungeons tonight?"

"I finished early and let my mind wander, so I took the wrong flight of stairs and bypassed the first level of them altogether. Then I thought I heard a student out of bed, but I found you instead," he explained.

He was looking at her funny, but she couldn't discern the expression in his eyes with the scant light available as her fingers absently found a few buttons on his frock coat to mess with. "I thought I heard someone, too. Guess they managed to get away from us."

"For once, I find that I don't mind very much…" His gaze travelled from her eyes to her lips and back again, their expression giving her goosebumps.

She frowned in confusion, tilting her head to one side. "Why do you say that?"

He changed the subject rather than give her an answer. "Have you finalized any more plans yet?"

Her frown deepened. "Yes. You don't seem like a green and gold sort of man, so I went with red and silver. And I picked November seventh for the date."

"Have you looked at dresses yet?"

"McGonagall has allowed Ginny and Hermione to go to Diagon Alley with me on Sunday to look for a gown and bridesmaids dresses."

"Good."

"…Severus."

"Hmm?"

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked in a low voice, hypnotized by those damned black eyes of his. She knew he hadn't slept well the past two nights, but she didn't think he was _that _worn out.

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure…like you're having the best dream of your life, maybe."

He leaned closer, so his face was as close to hers as the bright tip of his wand. "What if me dreaming is the only reason I can think of that you haven't pushed me away yet?"

Her cheeks flamed, but she stayed where she was.

The corners of his mouth turned up in a small grin. "What, no fiery comeback?"

"Maybe I've just gotten used to you by now. I _do _remember clinging to you for dear life for a week, and that you were the only thing that kept me warm in that freezing room at night."

It was his turn to frown. "You do?"

"I just said so, didn't I?"

"Even with all those blankets, it was me keeping you warm? How did you fare without me, then?"

"Um…I didn't." She avoided his eyes, almost afraid of what he'd say to that.

He quirked an eyebrow. "You chose falling asleep cold over coming back to my bed?" Well, he didn't sound angry…yet. "Do you dislike me that much?" His arm tightened around her fractionally, as if it was instinctual.

"What? No! I was just hesitant to impose on you."

He scoffed. "Please. I'm your fiancé, not your next-door neighbor. Coming to me for help is not imposing. In fact, I'd like for you to come to me _first_." He finally let her go, and she almost fell at the sudden loss of support.

"Bloody hell, Snape! You could give a girl some warning next time!" she exclaimed, leaning against the stone wall. She only continued when he looked somewhat remorseful. "And fine, I'll come to you for help first as much as possible," she conceded, still irritated.

He nodded, studying her with the same intense expression as earlier.

"Sweet Merlin, Severus. _What_?"

All he did was incline his head towards her and flick his gaze south for half a second.

She looked down and inhaled sharply. She'd changed out of her school clothes for rounds, choosing to patrol in a black, V-neck, long-sleeved shirt and black jeans under her robes, which she'd left open. The shirt had dipped extremely low after running into Severus and being caught by him. She tugged it higher, the blush returning to her face. When she looked back up at him as she fastened the front of her robes closed, she groaned. He was watching her hands.

"What's the matter with you tonight? I've never seen you act this way before."

He gave her an obviously-fake glare. "What, I'm not allowed to admire a beautiful woman?"

"Alright," she said, pushing off the wall to put her hands on his chest and ignoring the butterflies that exploded in her stomach. "You need some sleep. Let's go to bed."

"Oh, will you be joining me tonight?" He smirked.

"In your dreams." She attempted to shove him backwards, but he wouldn't budge.

"How did you know?"

She gaped. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"That depends—what do you think it means?"

"Not a chance, Casanova. Seriously, come on. This was the last part of my rounds; I want to go to bed." She tried again to push him toward the stairwell leading to the dungeons. Again, he wouldn't budge, but this time he grabbed her wrists and walked her back until he could pin her to the wall, somehow managing to keep his wand lit and in his hand. "What in sodding hell are you doing?!"

"Answer my question." There was zero space between them; his hair was even tickling the sides of her face. He was scowling at her, the corners of his mouth no longer turned up in a smirk or tiny smile, with the black depths of his gaze boring into her amber ones, as if he could see into her soul.

She shivered. "Y-You dream about me. Th-That's what it s-sounded like you meant," she whimpered.

"Yes, sometimes. Are you afraid?" he purred.

"Yes," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

"Don't be."

"You've got me pinned to the wall, I can't reach my wand, you're clearly worlds stronger than I am, you've gone mad from sleep deprivation, and we're alone. Why would I not be?" she murmured.

He sighed and dipped his head even closer, if that was possible, so she felt his breath on her lips. "Because I will never hurt you, Ceridwen; I give you my word on that."

"How do I know you'll keep it?" she objected.

"Would you like me to make a Wizard's Oath?"

She let the tension leave her body. "No. I believe you."

"Good."

"Can we go to bed now?"

He didn't answer right away, choosing to watch her some more. She was about to start fidgeting under his intense stare when he moved to close the gap between their lips.

"Professor Snape," she whispered harshly. He froze. "You would not be doing this if you'd gotten enough sleep the past two nights."

"Can't be sure about that one, Miss Sheridan."

"Why haven't you been sleeping properly?"

"I'm an insomniac," he lied.

"Good to know, now what's the real reason?"

The man actually bit his lip as he debated whether or not to tell her the truth.

"I'm waiting, Severus," she said impatiently.

"You don't have a choice but to wait; you couldn't move if you wanted to," he countered.

"Have you forgotten that promise we made to tell each other what's bothering us?"

Her fiancé hung his head, giving up. "I keep having nightmares of things I've done for the Dark Lord. They wake me up, and then I can't fall back asleep."

She crooked a finger under his chin to pull his head up and made him look at her. "If you insist that I come to you for help before anyone else, then _I _insist that you come to me when you can't sleep."

"Just because I suffer doesn't mean—"

"Rubbish. I'm your bloody fiancée. We'll be saying vows in two months that include 'for better, for worse,' so we might as well start practicing now."

His expression changed from one of reluctance to one more tender than she'd ever seen him give anyone before that moment. "Fine."

"Can I have my hands back, now? My wrists are starting to hurt."

He eased up with a grimace, though he didn't move away or actually let her go, instead examining her wrists closely. There were red, finger-shaped splotches were he'd held her. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. You just need some rest." She gently removed her wrists from his grip to link and arm with his. She tugged lightly, urging him to follow, and led him to their quarters.

* * *

Ceridwen woke the next morning on her transfigured bed to find Severus already gone, most likely at breakfast, and bruises on her wrists. She searched his medicine cabinet and private stores, but he was out of bruise salve.

"Of course," she muttered, annoyed. She'd have to go to Madame Pomfrey, and gods knew that was going to lead to disaster.

She dressed in dark jeans, flats, and a deep red sweater, pulling her hair into a braid as she walked through the corridors. When she was gingerly using her teeth to get the hairband off her wrist, she passed Draco and his little band of followers. He gave her a once-over, but Ceri wasn't quick enough to cover the bruises.

"Late night, Sheridan?" he sneered, mimicking his godfather perfectly.

"You know I had rounds, Draco," she replied tiredly without stopping.

"Yeah, and I know you ran into my godfather, too. 'Bloody hell, Snape! You could give a girl some warning next time!'" he mocked in a rather horrible impression of a female voice. "I didn't know you were an exhibitionist.

She stopped then and looked back at him with an icy glare. "We were not shagging, Draco."

The blonde threw his back and laughed at her, genuinely amused, as his posse chuckled along with him. "Sure, if you say so." With that, they walked off as Draco called over his shoulder, "Let me know when you're ready to have a _real_ shag."

Ceridwen almost turned to find Severus, but cooled her anger just enough so she'd be able to get her wrists healed before she saw him. She knew he'd be livid if he found out he'd hurt her.

Madame Pomfrey came to the same conclusion Draco had when she saw Ceri's purple wrists, but Ceri was happy to let the old woman think what she wanted; any denial would only encourage her suspicions. She told her charge to wait a moment while she went into her storeroom to find the salve. Ceri nodded before lowering her face to trace the marks, being careful not to press too hard.

The soft whisper of fabric on the floor was the only thing that gave her warning before a quiet gasp sounded above her and to her right. "Was that my doing?" a shocked yet dejected voice asked.

She jumped and turned her face toward it. "Severus!" Rather than answer, she tugged her sleeves back into place. "What are you doing here?"

"It was, wasn't it?"

She sighed just as Madame Pomfrey returned. "Yes."

"Severus!" the matronly woman exclaimed, much like Ceri so recently had. "You're hand!"

Ceri frowned and checked his left hand, confirmed it was fine, and reached around him for the right on, grabbing his forearm to avoid agitating whatever injury he had. He let her take it, clenching his jaw. What she found had her gaping. The once-pale skin was red and angry, blistered, and crisscrossed with shallow cuts. "How did this happen?"

"A pair of fourth year Hufflepuffs decided to have a duel. One of them said a spell wrong _and _aimed incorrectly. If I'd taken another step, that bloody curse would've hit much more than my hand," he growled. "I handed them off to Sprout so I could get here quickly."

Madame Pomfrey placed the jar of bruise salve on the bed next to Ceri. "I trust you'll be able to do that yourself. Just put it on my desk when you're finished."

"Yes, ma'am…" Her eyes followed Severus as he was led to a bed across the room and made to sit so his back was to her.

She rubbed the salve into her skin mechanically, wincing a few times when she pressed too hard. The second her wrists were the same color as the rest of her, she placed the jar of salve on Pomfrey's desk and headed over to Severus' bed, slowly crawling across so as not to jostle anything, and settled on her knees just behind his right shoulder. He glanced back at her, but otherwise ignored her presence. She knew felt like he'd already failed in his promise to never hurt her, but she knew he'd been out of sorts; he'd bruised her before he made the promise, anyway.

Ceri rested her chin on his shoulder in a silent, "I forgive you," and heard him exhale slowly, like he'd been holding his breath. Madame Pomfrey took a moment to glare, and they each raised an eyebrow at her without even realizing they'd reacted the same, since they couldn't see each other's faces with the way they were sitting. The older witch then shook her head and returned to her work of healing her colleague's hand.

Draco's remarks flooded back to her. She sneered at the memory and muttered, "I need to tell you something."

"So tell me," he responded just as quietly.

She glanced at Pomfrey, who she was sure could hear them despite their quiet tones. "Later."

"Fine."

They waited patiently for his hand to be healed, both practically jumping from the bed once it was. Severus thanked Madame Pomfrey on behalf of both of them and placed his newly repaired hand on the small of her back; Ceridwen couldn't decide if he was being possessive or protective in the gesture. He steered into an alcove, out of the sight and hearing range of any passersby, but positioned his body so that no one would see her should they discover their hiding place.

"Well?" he asked.

"It's about Draco…"

Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What did my fool of a godson say to you?"

"Basically that he heard me last night after you let me go the first time. And he saw the bruises." Her cheeks colored as she told him the rest. "He, um, mentioned something about you and me shagging, and exhibitionism, and then told me to find him if I ever…'want a real shag.'" She air-quoted the last.

His teeth clicked together in his mouth as the muscle in his jaw jumped. "Anything else?" he inquired in a deadly tone.

"No…Oh, no you don't!" She grabbed for his robes as he turned to storm off, presumably to find Draco, and held on for dear life. Thanking the gods when he whirled back around to face her, she moved to block his exit. "I have never seen you angrier, and I will never be able to live with myself if I let you go after your Head-Boy godson in this state."

"You're protecting the man that blatantly disrespected you, me, _and _our engagement in a two-minute conversation?" he asked incredulously.

She gave him a dry look and crossed her arms. "No, you Dungeon Bat. Just trying to keep you from living up to the various titles the student body has given you."

"You know I could get past you in less than a second, don't you?"

"I also know you wouldn't run the risk of hurting me, promise or no promise. There's barely enough room in here for the two of us and the walls are made of stone, so it wouldn't be difficult for me to be injured."

"You never play fair, do you? Let me out," he demanded.

"No to both. Neither of us is leaving until you're calm."

"I am perfectly composed, Sheridan," he ground out.

She snorted, grinning triumphantly. "Why are your hands shaking, then?"

He stayed silent, knowing he'd lost and failing to understand how she won so many arguments.

"That's what I thought. Please, would you just relax a bit? Sit down, put your head back, close your eyes—" she started.

"You, of all people, should know I pace to relax," he interrupted.

She rolled her eyes. "Then walk in teeny-tiny circles, for all I care."

He decided against that, instead choosing to sit on the window seat and bounce his leg. Every few minutes, he'd get up to walk across the small space and then resume his seat to bounce his leg some more, stealing quick glances at her.

When he got up to do it an eighth time, Ceridwen snapped, "Severus, for the love of Circe! Can you not sit still?"

"No, I cannot, thanks to you! If you'd just bloody move, I could move around more, but you've been standing there for more than twenty minutes!" he snarled, visibly trying not to shout.

"You shouldn't have chosen such a small place, then!"

He didn't check his own volume this time. "Oh, it's my fault now, is it? You could have warned me about what you wanted to tell me!"

She was just as loud. "You should learn to control your temper!"

"What do you think I've been doing for the last twenty minutes, knitting?"

"You've probably been plotting punishments for Draco!"

"I wasn't, actually, but why shouldn't I?"

"Because the point was to _relax_!"

He pulled her to him by her arm and spun them around to pin her to the wall again, but by her hips instead of her wrists. Ceri was beginning to think he had a thing for it. "How can I relax," he said slowly, "when you are in skin-tight clothes and standing in the sunlight, so that all I can see is your silhouette? Enlighten me, I implore you."

Her eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to imply, Severus?"

"Surely you cannot be so naïve a creature? I told you I dream about you. Can't you put the pieces together?"

"How often?"

"About once a week."

"When did the dreams start?"

"We're a bit off topic, Sheridan."

"_When did they start_?"

He softened, something he only seemed to do for her. "The night you fell apart in my arms."

"And now you can't relax around me?"

He nodded, but his eyes narrowed again when she smirked.

"I think you have a crush, Professor. Especially considering last night…" Her fingers trailed from the backs of his hands to his shoulders slowly, teasing, and though her touch was feather-light and he had a white linen shirt on underneath his frock coat, he could still feel it like fire burning his skin. She beamed, enjoying his discomfort at the pleasantness of the sensation.

"Last night was nothing. I was sleep deprived and delusional. It's a wonder no one died in any of my classes with the state I was in."

"Don't try to hide from me now. That's just not fair." She twirled a lock of his hair around her finger, glad to find he'd washed it.

"I don't think I could if I tried. You have a remarkable ability to see through me."

"Not often. I'm good at tricking information out of you."

"Says the student to a master spy."

"What can I say? I'm gifted."

He considered her, his gaze roaming over her features, memorized every aspect of her face. "You are at that, Ceridwen," he whispered.

"What's going through your head? You seem to be thinking rather hard about something."

"When you're going to push me away…" One of hands slid up to her waist.

She frowned. "Why? Haven't we already established that I don't mind being sandwiched between you and a wall?"

"And why is that?"

She blushed, something she'd done more in the past twelve hours than she had in a month. "I told you, I'm used to you after I…well, you know."

"Yes, I know. Just how used to me are you?"

He was purring his words again. Why was he purring his words again? "Did you get any sleep last night?"

Severus' brow furrowed and the purr disappeared. "Yes. Why do you keep answering my questions with questions?"

"Why do you keep letting me?"

"Just answer me, will you?"

"Which question? I'm not being facetious this time, I swear."

"Just how sued to me are you?" he repeated.

"Ah, that one…" Heat crept into her cheeks again.

"It's just a simple question."

She groaned inwardly. The purr was back. "Does telling you I can't think straight when you talk like that count as an answer?"

He smirked. "I suppose."

"Can I ask you something?"

His other hand skimmed up to her waist. "That's what you've been doing practically all morning. Well, all _your _morning."

"Why did you…how should I put it…warm up to me so quickly? When we were first engaged, it was like I was a burden to you, and now you tell me I distract you. I don't understand, is all."

He thought about what and how much to tell her, tucking a lock of hair that had fallen out of her braid behind her ear. "Your…innocence…seems to bring out my protective side. I feel possessive every time someone makes the smallest joke or says the worst things," he murmured. "I realized you were a woman the night of the engagement party, but it wasn't until you were disowned that you changed in my eyes. You can be so sensitive and take everything to heart one day, and then as confidant as your Weasley twins the next. And whenever you touch me…" He dipped his head to brush his lips across the skin of her neck. "…or whenever you make those ridiculous demands of me you're so fond of, you prove that you're exactly what I need. I'll probably never be able to love you, and for that I beg your forgiveness, but I think I could come quite close."

She pulled his face up so she could look at him, and because he as turning her brain to much with the way his lips were brushing against her neck when he talked. "Would you be able to love the children, Severus?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation, "that, I'm sure I could do."

She smiled. "Good."

"I forgot to mention that I can't bloody breathe when you grin at me like that."

"Then this might stop your heart…" She leaned forward a mere inch and suddenly fire exploded across her body, starting at her mouth and spreading to her toes. He was too shocked to respond at first, but soon he was kissing her passionately and reverently at the same time, afraid to break her yet determined to have her. His arms snaked around her until she pressed to his chest, unable to tell where she ended and he began.

They didn't come up for air for a long time, too lost in each other to bother. When they finally did, both were breathing heavily and Ceridwen's braid had come undone so that her hair flowed down her back in semi-perfect waves.

"Well?" she breathed.

He leaned his forehead against hers. "You were right."


	8. Chapter Seven: Shopping, Arguing, & a P

**A/N: **So sorry for taking this long! Got buried in schoolwork right from the start :(

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Shopping, Arguing, & a Prank **

Severus Snape was going mad.

That's what it felt like, anyway.

He didn't know what it was about his fiancée—the world still sounded foreign to him—but she brought out things about him he hadn't known he still possessed, characteristics from his school years and before. He felt like a sodding teenager again whenever she was in the same room. And yesterday in that alcove…it'd felt like his legs were about to fail him and send him tumbling to the floor. She, of course, would be worried beyond thought and fuss over him, which he couldn't find it in himself to mind much.

Draco crashed into him, cutting off his train of thought; if he'd been paying attention to where he was going, he would have been able to avoid the little prat. Expression turning stony, he grabbed the back of his godson's collar to drag him into the closest empty classroom and slammed the door so loud their ears nearly popped.

"You've got some nerve, boy, talking to Sheridan like that," he snarled.

"So she tattled on me, did she? Whatever, she's probably no good in bed anyway." He grumbled the last, though Snape still heard him, of course, and spoke the next at normal volume. "How disappointing was she last night, Snape?"

Severus raised his hand as if to give Draco a swift, back-handed slap, but held it still and clenched his fist as the muscle in his jaw jumped. Slowly lowering his hand, he growled, "I will not check myself a second time. I may not be allowed to strike you as your professor or Head of House, but I certainly can as your godfather. Lucius would not be cross with me when he found out my reasons." Draco paled, eyes going wide as if he hadn't known this information before. "Now, I expect you to act like the Head Boy you don't deserve to be right now. One step out of line, and I will go straight to the headmistress and convince her to give your position to a more worthy Prefect."

"Yes, sir." Draco hung his head, sounding truly sorry, and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Severus sighed, letting his shoulders slump and his tone soften in defeat. A sad Draco had always been his downfall before Ceridwen was suddenly taking up half his life. "You know I see you almost as a son."

"And you're looking out for me in the best way you know how," the blonde finished for him. "I know. Do you want me to apologize to her?"

"Yes, but not today. She's apparently gone dress shopping, and I don't want her be upset; she was bloody _ecstatic _before she left this morning." Severus rolled his eyes, at a loss as to why shopping for a dress she'd only wear once could be so meaningful to her.

"I understand. Guess I'll see you later, then."

Severus nodded and watched the boy exit the classroom. He stood there for a few moments, alone in the dark like he had been for twenty long years, and found that he no longer enjoyed it as he originally did, nor was he simply content with it as he had been after he'd joined the Order.

He hated it.

"Gods. What's she doing to me?" he groaned, raking a hand down his face.

* * *

"I'm serious, Ginny!" Ceridwen whined as she twisted around on the little dais, examining every inch of the dress; they'd already been in the store for three hours. It was the most beautiful one she'd tried on, pure white like the rest, and hugged her curves all over. She hadn't bothered checking the price—Severus had practically bullied her into letting him pay for nearly everything in the wedding even though she had her fair share of money from her mother's will—so she didn't chicken out of buying it in case she liked it. "There's something off about it, about all of them." She gestured to the other dresses hanging inside the large fitting room.

"Sorry," Ginny giggled.

Hermione rolled her eyes, grinning slightly. "Did you come up with a specific style you want yet?"

Ceri's shoulders slumped, glancing guiltily at their consultant. "No."

"What are your wedding colors, dear?" Lina, the consultant, asked patiently. "I could probably pull better dresses for you if I knew."

"Red and silver, but so far the only places red will show up are flowers and ribbons and such," she started, then figured she might as well explain everything she'd worked out so far. "It's not going to be a large affair; Ginny and Hermione are my only bridesmaids. Missus Weasley tricked me into agreeing to have the ceremony at the Burrow, which my Slytherin fiancé was not happy about, so there's not much room for a whole lot of color anyway. Ginny, here, is my Maid of Honor—"

"Ceri," Hermione interrupted, "Take a deep breath. You're rambling."

She blushed. "Oops."

Lina smiled warmly and asked, "I've got just the thing. Your Slytherin will be blown away despite the color. Go take that one off, I'll be back shortly." She disappeared between racks upon racks of dresses as Ceri disappeared into her fitting room. Not a second after she'd slipped the dress down her body and to the floor, Ginny and Hermione made sounds of intense approval and Lina knocked to announce her presence before coming in.

The dress she was holding up for Ceri's appraisal was made of wine-colored, crepe back satin with the matte side facing outward. The sleeves and skirt over layers were of the same dark shade of red, but they were chiffon rather than satin. The detailing consisted of embroidered leaves and beading with crystals in a warm silver shade, and with some deep red beads on the skirt and strings of the them over the upper arms. Its train, when Lina took it out of its plastic gown bag, looked to be about two feet long and supported by netted layers.

Ceri fingered the material, letting it slide between her fingers. "This is stunning, Lina."

"I take it you're not opposed to a non-white gown, then?" the older woman teased gently, smiling slightly.

"Not a bit."

It took her a bit longer to get into that dress than it did for the others, since it had to go on over her head instead of Ceri just stepping into it. She had a huge smile on her face as she followed Lina out to stand on the little dais again and twirled for her friends, who all but squealed in delight.

"You look amazing!" Hermione shrieked.

"Malfoy will have to hold Snape up," Ginny joked.

Lina acted as though Ginny hadn't just let it slip who Ceri was marrying in two months, just went about messing with Ceri's hair and starting a conversation on how it would look best with the gown while the bridesmaids set of on dress hunts of their own. By the time they returned, Ceridwen had long since changed into her robes and sat on the small sofa to await their reappearance. Lina left with her gown to make the alterations needed, giving it back in only a few minutes and leaving again.

Each had two dresses in tow when they returned, two styles in their respective sizes. The first they showed was a long, silver satin number with side runching. It fit Ginny perfectly, but Hermione couldn't quite pull off the shiny look, so they went to change into the second dress. It was a crinkle chiffon high-low halter dress, with something thin and slightly sparkly just under the bodice.

"Perfect!" Ceri grinned wide, happy to be almost finished with the day of shopping.

"You're the same size as me, right?" Hermione suddenly asked.

"Yeah…why…?" she replied.

"Would you mind trying on that first one? I rather like it, and silver-clad bridesmaids wouldn't be out of place in the colors for my own wedding."

"Not at all!" She retrieved the dress from Hermione's fitting room and entered her own, easily slipping into the gown.

When she came out, Ginny said, "That color looks amazing with your hair."

"Thank you. What do you think, 'Mione?"

"It's brilliant!"

"Cool, then let's buy these and head to the jewelry store for accessories and such." As she gathered her wedding gown and bridesmaid dress in her arms, something occurred to her and she couldn't help laughing a bit, causing her friends to throw her questioning looks. "Severus might have a stroke when he sees the cost of our little shopping spree. Neither of these garments are cheap by any means, and the jewelry is bound to be expensive as hell."

Hermione rolled her eyes for the second time that day. "Only you would find that humorous, Ceri."

Ginny just shook her head at her amber-eyed friend. "Sometimes I wonder about you, you know."

* * *

The trio returned to the school an hour before dinner; Ginny and Hermione headed up to the Prefects dorm, and Ceri made her way to the dungeons, hoping Severus wasn't there even though the dress was well-covered to prevent anyone from seeing it.

As per her usual luck, however, he was.

"Welcome back," he greeted awkwardly. He sipped his tea from where he stood in the middle of the sitting room; she guessed he'd been walking to the sofa when she came in.

"Hello." They'd barely talked after that kiss. Ceridwen had joined Ginny during her visit to the Burrow Saturday afternoon, where her mother decided she wanted Ceri's wedding to be. She'd denied at first, knowing Severus wasn't the biggest fan of the Weasley family, but the matriarch had tricked a yes out of her, and Severus had been none too happy the next morning when Ceri broke the news to him before leaving with Ginny and Hermione.

"Were you able to find everything?"

"Uh, yes."

"And you assigned the expenses to my account?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"You won't be saying that when you see the bill," she mumbled.

His eyes narrowed. "What?" he snapped.

"Um, nothing. I'll just, uh, go put these away…" She started for her room, which he'd promised to magically create while she was out, after finding the only unfamiliar door. It seemed to be the same size as his, with a queen bed, a dresser, a bookshelf, a desk, and a nightstand. Next to the bed was a closet; she was impressed to find that Severus had thought to make it a walk-in when she opened it to deposit the gowns.

She emerged into the sitting room, once her things were put away, to find Severus reading on the sofa with his tea close to his lips so he could take a drink every few seconds. He glanced up as she got closer, but returned his eyes to his book when she met his gaze. Lifting a novel from its shelf, she wondered what could be going through his head as he pretended to read and hoped it wasn't anything bad.

He couldn't think of anything other than how close she was, and how much he wanted to go search through her closet to see the dress she'd picked out. He was still irked that he'd be getting married at the Weasley home, but that fact was easily forgotten when his fiancée was just across the room, with her legs crossed in her armchair and one of his books in her lap.

Just when he could bear the silence no longer, she announced it was time to go to dinner. He set his book and cup on the coffee table and rushed from his chambers, eager to get away from her and the odd feelings that coursed through him when she was near.

_She's seventeen, she's seventeen, she's seventeen,_ he told himself. _She's twenty-one years your junior. You have no business acting like a smitten teenager. Or smitten at all, for that matter!_

He held back a groan when she managed to catch up to him.

"Sir, about yesterday—"

He turned on her, forcing her to stop so she didn't run into him. "What about it? Choose your words carefully," he warned. There was bound to be at least one other person around trying to eavesdrop on them.

She lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry if it's made you feel…odd. I didn't mean to put you in any sort of awkward position—"

"Hush! You have no tact when you're not arguing, do you?"

"I just don't know how to say what I'm thinking, sir."

"Stop calling me that."

"Why?"

"Because I do not feel awkward, Sheridan. Quite the opposite, really." He leaned in closer so only she could hear his next words. "I am hyper-aware of everything you do, and I do not relish being called 'sir' when my brain is so painfully aware of the student I'm engaged to." He turned on his heel and left her standing, dumbstruck, in the hallway.

"Do you expect me to call you by your first name in class, then?"

"You know the answer to that," he called without looking back.

All through dinner, his eyes never left her unless he was forced into conversation with one of the other professors. He could feel her watching him when he wasn't watching her, burning a hole into his robes. He left the Head Table as soon as he finished his meal, hoping to retire to his bedroom for the rest of the evening until he had rounds, and avoided passing Ceridwen on his way out.

He groaned when he caught sight of someone leaning against his door. "What are you doing here, Lucius?"

His old friend grinned. "You haven't gotten fitted for your wedding robes, have you?"

"No, and I am not doing it tonight. Move."

Lucius stepped aside to allow Severus to open the door and followed him inside. "Tomorrow, then, after your last class."

"I knew I shouldn't have chosen you as the best man. Poor Miss Weasley," he said sarcastically.

"It's not as if you have many more friends to choose from, Severus. We're social pariahs, you and I."

"Yes, but the difference lies in the fact that I choose to be, and you just _are_."

Someone pounded on the door. "What could I have possibly done to annoy you so much that you've locked me out?" Ceridwen's voice called through the wood.

Severus temporarily lifted the wards to allow her entrance and felt them set again a few moments later, after she'd shut the door. "I apologize. I was a bit distracted by _him_." He pointed to Lucius.

"Oh," she muttered when she finally noticed the other man. "How are you, Mister Malfoy?"

"You may call me Lucius, dear, seeing as how you'll be married to my best friend in two months." He smirked at Severus, about to embarrass them both further and loving it. "And since you've shagged him already."

"She did not!" Severus snapped, irritation plain on his face. "Your son needs to learn some manners, by the way. I nearly hit him earlier."

Ceridwen's eyebrows shot to her hairline, both because he defended her so quickly and because he'd nearly struck his godson.

"What for?" The lack of concern in Lucius' tone was appalling to her.

"He propositioned my fiancée, first of all—"

Ceri's head fell into her hands as she interrupted. "_Must _you tell him?"

He went on as if she hadn't spoken. "—and then further disrespected both of us when I spoke to him about it later."

"Hmm. Has he apologized to her, at least?"

"He's promised to."

Lucius turned to Ceridwen. "Are you stilled angry with him?"

"Yes, but I'm willing to forgive him when he apologizes."

"Problem solved, then," the father said cheerily with a slight grin.

Severus dropped his head in his hand, but before he could respond, a patronus in the shape of a wolf drifted through his door, stopped halfway between him and Ceridwen, said, "Order meeting. Now," in Lupin's voice and left to inform the rest of the members.

"I suppose that's my cue to leave," Malfoy announced. "I'll see you tomorrow, then, Severus. Goodnight, Sheridan."

The strange couple muttered their goodbyes and watched as he gently closed the door on his way out before they even looked at each other.

"Get your cloak," Severus told her quietly. "We've got to walk to leave the wards before we can disapparate."

Ceridwen retrieved her cloak from her room, as well as a pair of gloves. Upon returning to the sitting room, she found Severus pulling on gloves of his own, cloak already on. He glanced up at her as she stopped beside him, but said nothing as they left his chambers and started down the corridor. On their way out of the castle, they passed most of the other Order members who lived there, but ignored them other than polite nods of hello or brief exchanges between good friends. They were all discreetly leaving the castle, while Snape and Ceridwen knew they could walk out the front door and no one would think it odd.

Sheridan shivered the moment she stepped outside and tucked herself into Severus' side on reflex, placing her hand in the crook of his elbow. He stiffened for half a second; she tensed in response and pulled away, but he took her hand and kissed the back of it before pulling her close his side again.

She gave him a small, satisfied smile. "You're awfully warm for someone who lives in the dungeons."

"You're hands are like ice. Of course I'm warm." He smirked.

She nudged him with her elbow and they continued without speaking, each lost in their thoughts, until they reached the edge of the wards. Severus apparated them to the front hall of Grimmauld Place. Molly found them almost immediately to usher them into the kitchen, where Fred handed them both a cup of hot tea before rejoining his brothers.

All of the Weasleys had arrived already, as well as Minerva, Tonks, and Lupin, and were seated around the table with their own drinks, talking in low voices. Arthur and molly drew Severus into a conversation that didn't concern Ceri much so she drifted across the room to greet the twins and Bill. As the last of the Order trickled in, Remus and Arthur moved to the head of the table. Remus cleared his throat to get everyone's attention just as Severus brushed a hand across the small of Ceridwen's back to let her know he was there. She jumped, but relaxed when she saw it who he was and leaned into him for a moment.

"Thank you all for answering my patronus so quickly. I've heard a few of you speculating about why, and have come to the conclusion that you're all paranoid." The Order chuckled. "I'm sure you all remember the attack on the Death Eaters that we canceled so long ago?" When he heard varying responses of "yes," he continued. "I've been speaking with Arthur about it this past week, and we think they've begun to underestimate our willingness to go after them—which makes this the perfect time to do just that."

"Mind you," Arthur added, "we're not allowing students to go, whether you're of age or not."

Said students groaned in complaint, but knew better than to argue.

"Why call us here, then?" Hermione questioned.

"Some of us are bound to be injured, Hermione. We'll need assistance when we return, and, gods forbid, some of may even need help returning in the first place," Arthur explained.

"When is this even happening?" Ginny cut in, eyes wide with worry. She glanced at each of her brothers in turn, aside from Ron, and it was clear that Arthur hadn't told her what he and Remus were planning.

"This Saturday," Remus answered.

"Who do you plan on bringing?" Ceridwen asked.

"The non-student members of the Order and Dumbledore's Army," Severus replied.

Her hand tightened on her cup of tea, turning the knuckles white. "I suppose that includes you?"

"Yes."

She set her drink on the table and left the kitchen without so much as a glance in his general direction.

Severus clenched his jaw.

"You didn't tell her?" Remus inquired in a reproachful tone.

Snape glared. "I was ordered not to tell anyone by _you_, Lupin."

"Well of course your bloody fiancée is exception to that!"

Tonks settled Teddy on her hip to clap her husband on the arm. "You should have known to tell him that, you dunce!"

The werewolf looked at his wife in confusion for a moment before he grimaced, realizing her point. "Right…"

Severus rolled his eyes. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to resolve this issue so she isn't cross with me should I be in need of her assistance later."

"You've got a whole week, mate. Just let her cool off for a bit and talk to her then," Sirius suggested.

Severus sneered at the Animagus. "She'll only be furious with me for the rest of the week if I don't. Or depressed. I'd rather her get her anger out of the way now and have the issue resolved than let her think I was intentionally hiding this from her."

Sirius' eyes narrowed. "You've certainly gotten to know her very well already."

"Really, Black," he said as he crossed to the door, "for the amount of women you've been with, I would have thought you'd know how to handle them when they're upset." He smirked, exiting the room as sniggers started up.

Quietly, he entered the sitting room to find Ceridwen on the floor in front of the lit fireplace. The light from the flames reflected off of everything else in the otherwise dark room to give her black hair a slightly red glow. She'd pulled her legs up to her chest and crossed her arms on top of her knees to rest her chin on them. She either didn't know he was there or was choosing not to acknowledge him.

His brow furrowed. She didn't look angry; she seemed…dejected, almost. "I'm sorry," Severus murmured, slowly moving farther into the room.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked in a small voice.

"Lupin told me to keep it to myself. I hadn't realized you were an exception."

"How did I not know you were speaking with him?"

"He only sent his owl when you were in class. I did the same when I had time and when you were on rounds."

"Okay."

Silence.

"That's all?"

"Yes, Severus, that's all."

There was something off about her that he found familiar, but he couldn't quite place what it was. He'd expected her to start arguing with him right away, to be more upset with the fact that he hadn't told her what he had agreed to participate in without her knowledge.

And then it hit him.

It was very possible that he could be fatally injured during the attack and leave her without anyone to marry; then she would be assigned a husband by the Ministry. That way, she might end up with a Death Eater who would treat her like a piece of property and nothing more.

"You need not worry that I will die and allow the Ministry to assign you a husband."

She was off the ground before he'd even registered that she'd moved, and despite the dim lighting, he could see the tear tracks on her cheeks. "You think I'm worried about what will happen to _me_, at the end of this? We haven't been engaged long, but you've had plenty of time to get to know me far better than that!" The red glow to her hair became more pronounced, somehow, as she went on. "I was not crying because I might have to face the reality of marrying a Death Eater at the end of the week, Severus! I know you'll come back alive."

Her fresh rage was rubbing off on him, if only because she was yelling in his face. "What, pray tell, were you crying for, then?"

"As if it's so difficult to see! You're a sodding Legilimens—figure it out!"

"I don't think you want me to do that, Sheridan. Just tell me."

"You should bloody know," she muttered, crossing her arms; the fire seemed to glow more, causing her hair to seem even redder.

He threw up his hands, thoroughly annoyed, and looked to the ceiling for a moment. "Well, I don't!" She opened her mouth to speak when he looked back at her, but he cut her off. "What on Earth is the matter with your hair?" he exclaimed.

"What's the matter with _yours_?"

He pulled a lock of his hair in front of his eyes, scowling, as she examined hers at the same time. What he found was not raven black—it was the same bright crimson as hers.

"Weasley!" They both cried.

In the kitchen, where the others had stopped talking to listen to the argument, Fred and George nearly fell out of their chairs laughing.

"What did you do?" Molly demanded.

"We put a powder in their tea—" Fred began.

"—that turns their hair red—" George continued.

"—when they get angry." Fred finished.

"How long does it last?"

"Only works for one bout of rage," George said.

"Nice, one, boys," Sirius praised, a wide grin on his face. The twins stood and bowed.

"Fred! George! I'm going to hex you out of your minds!" Ceridwen called from the hallway.

They knew her wand wouldn't allow her to do much harm, but her fiancée and fellow victim was Severus Snape, so they disapparated to the apartment above their shop and hoped the couple didn't find a way to follow them.

* * *

**A/N:** The description of the dresses comes directly from the sites I found them on, to which there are links on my profile if anyone wants to take a look (especially if you're as impaired in fashion language as I am) because words do them little justice.

_Credit for the prank goes to __**Swirlypasta**__! :)_


	9. Chapter Eight: Golden Flares, Crimson Te

**Chapter Eight: Golden Flares, Crimson Tears**

Ceridwen pounded the door to the kitchen open, intending to hunt down the twins, but halted mid-step when she saw everyone's eyes on her. They visibly held back laughter, which only increased her irritation. She clenched her teeth and turned around to keep Severus from entering the room just as someone called out that Fred and George had disapparated.

"Nope," she muttered, pushing against his chest with both hands. "Not in there."

He threw his hands up. "Where are they, then?"

"Probably at their flat, since we can't apparate there."

"Stop pushing me."

"Well stop pushing back!"

"I'm not even bloody moving!"

"Fine!" She removed her hands from his chest, and he fell forward a little. She smirked and crossed her arms. "Weren't pushing back, were you?"

His eyes narrowed into slits.

Sirius said something rather loud in the kitchen. Molly shouted, "Sirius Black!" in reproach, as well as quite a few other things that Severus and Ceridwen couldn't hear.

They stood in silence, just glaring at each other. Severus' black eyes burned into Ceri's amber ones. She was the first to look away as their crimson hair darkened slightly.

Severus sighed. "You still want me to figure out why you're upset, don't you?"

She blinked rapidly and bit her lip before responding, still not looking at him. "I…No, not exactly. I was just under the impression that you thought better of me than you do, that I would be more worried about the _reason _I would be assigned a new husband more than _actually _being assigned one."

He frowned. "I don't understand…"

"Gods, you men are thick!"

His only reply was a confused expression as the red faded almost completely from their hair.

"I've said I know you'll come back alive."

"You have," he agreed.

"I know you're a great wizard, one of the greatest in the world."

The line between his eyes deepened; he couldn't see where she was going with this.

"But it seems that this knowledge cannot stop me from worrying about you."

He deflated, cursing himself for his idiocy. "Sheridan. I _do_ think better of you than that. I just didn't think you'd give a damn about _me_."

"Is it really so hard to believe?" She moved closer to him to avoid others overhearing, then remembered she was a witch. "_Muffliato_. Did you not see my face when only your hand was injured? Is it so hard for you to believe that I care, that even though I was forced into this, I _might _just give a damn whether you live or die?" Her molten gaze was pleading with him, begging him to believe her. She gave a small smile. "I would not have patience with you if I didn't think you were worth it."

He searched her face for any sign of dishonesty, but found none. He opened his mouth to speak, closed it, and finally just settled on staring at her with a dumbstruck expression before he found his voice at last, though all he could say was, "The student is lecturing the teacher. I should be fired."

She sighed, dropping her head in her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Gods, Severus. You couldn't have ruined that more thoroughly than you just did."

He smirked. "I'm rubbing off on you."

Ceri lifted her head, confused for a moment, then realized what he meant. "I suppose you are."

The smirk left his face; he hooked a finger under her chin to make her look at him. "I would have told you about this Saturday if I was aware that I could. Lupin never said you were allowed to know. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you. Where exactly will this attack be, though?"

"That, I do not know."

"Let's go ask, then."

She dropped the _Muffliato_ and took his hand in hers to lead him back to the kitchen. He reached around her to push the door open, which put them rather close together, so when they entered the room, the hand that was holding hers had shifted to her hip and they couldn't be much closer—her shoulders were brushing his chest with each step.

Everyone's eyebrows shot to their hairlines.

"Piss off," was all Ceridwen said.

Severus tried and failed to hold back a smile.

Mouths fell open.

"Remus," Ceri said, "where will this attack take place?" She took one of the chairs the twins had vacated, pulling Severus' hand into her lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The werewolf shook himself, prompting the others to do so as well. He cleared his throat, seeming suddenly shy. "Yes, about that…"

"You might as well just say it," Arthur encouraged quietly.

"The Riddle house," Remus said in a rush.

Her eyes widened and her hand tightened almost painfully on Severus'. She was frozen in her seat, gaze locked on Lupin. "Great Circe," she breathed. "_Why_?"

Since the end of the war, the Riddle house was seen as haunted, in a way. Most witches and wizards believed it to be cursed because of Voldemort's time spent there before his return during the Triwizard Tournament. No one wanted anything to do with it, save the Death Eaters, and they were only there because they knew the Order didn't want to go anywhere near the place.

"When Charlie and Percy arrive, there will fifteen of us to fight—"

Harry interrupted him. "There would be more than twenty if you let the rest of us fight as well. We've all seen war, Remus. We can handle it."

"Harry's right," Hermione agreed. "It doesn't make any sense to keep us back."

"Alright," Arthur began, "I'm just going to explain the entire plan. Molly, you know it already; could you fetch the twins, please? We can fill them in on what they missed later."

"Of course." She disapparated.

"As I was saying. Molly will be the only one of us not at the Riddle house, but I'll get back to her role later. The rest of us will create a ring around the house, with each healer between both of his or her charges. When we begin the attack, the healers—which will be the students—will stay right where they are until they are needed." Molly apparated in with Fred and George right then. "It's likely that most or all of us invading the house will be injured at some point. When that happens, we'll need them to heal us as quickly as possible, or apparate us here. Molly will be waiting to take over healing duties so you can get back to the house."

"Do we get no say in this?" Ron asked.

"If it involves the students fighting, then no," Remus answered. "And to avoid confusion, you healers will all be assigned someone to look out for. And no arguing about it, either."

"What if one of you is injured and can't get out of the house?" Hermione challenged. "How do we help you then?"

"Hermione, dear, if we're too injured to leave the house, we probably never will," Arthur said gently.

"No," Ceridwen said defiantly. "If whoever I'm assigned to is trapped in that house, I'm going in whether you like it or not."

"How will we even know they're trapped in the first place?" Harry asked before Ceri could be rebuked.

The group debated this for a few minutes, until George spoke up. "We can send flares out the nearest window."

"And if you lose your wand?" The-Boy-Who-Lived argued.

"We can make little firework-type things," Fred claimed. "Every healer can have their own color, and whoever they're supposed to watch over can have a mini firework with them that will fly out the nearest window and explode into the color of their healer."

"Slow down," Remus cried, "no one ever said we are allowing the students to enter the house under any circumstances."

"Maybe you didn't hear me, Remus," Ceridwen said in a dangerous voice, "but I very clearly stated that I don't give a damn what you said. I will go into that house to protect my charge. I'm sure the others will agree." She looked to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who nodded their agreement.

"Who have they all been assigned to, Remus?" Severus asked.

Remus threw him a grateful look and picked up a piece of parchment Ceri hadn't noticed before. "Right, yes. Now, before I start, I've got Cho as a healer and Angelina and Esmeralda as fighters, but I don't know any of them very well. Would they be willing to participate?"

Sirius, Fred, and George all gave him variations of "yes."

"Good, then you'll have to fill them in as soon as possible, as well as Neville and Luna. Harry, you have Kingsley and McGonagall. Ginny, you have Charlie and Percy. Ron, you have George and Arthur. Hermione, you have Bill and Fleur. And Ceridwen, you have Severus and Sirius."

"Why doesn't Harry have Sirius?" Bill asked, confused.

"Because Harry is the best of them with defense magic, and Kingsley and Minerva are rather important people. From what I've seen, Sirius is as much family to Ceridwen as he is to Harry."

"He's right," Ceri agreed. "He's got the mind of a ten-year-old, but he's family."

"I am sitting _right_ here, you know," Sirius complained.

"Am I wrong?"

"Well, no…"

"Alright, alright. Stop picking fights, you lot, we're all nervous. Whoever is telling the others who they'll be healing, listen up: Cho has Fred and Angelina, Neville has Tonks and me, and Luna has Esmeralda."

Hermione volunteered to inform Neville and Luna, Fred would tell Cho, and Sirius and George would let their fiancées know. The twins took down all the healers' color choices; Severus immediately said "gold" when they asked for Ceri's, making her blush. Everyone memorized who they would be responsible for or who would be looking out for them, and Molly served them all a hot cup of açaí and blueberry tea with honey.

The mood in 12 Grimmauld Place declined rapidly as the Order separated into groups and pairs and moved throughout the house until they had to return home or go back to school. Conversation quickly turned to the weekend plans, but no one was strategizing—that had clearly already been taken care of. Instead, they were worrying.

Severus and Ceridwen sat in silence in the sitting room, alone, she leaning back on his chest with his black cloak covering her like a blanket, and he idly stroking her air as they both stared at the low fire that did little to warm the room.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Ceridwen asked, "What are we, Severus?" and sipped her tea.

"What?" he nearly squeaked.

She couldn't help giggling, but sobered right away. "What are we?" she repeated. "I mean…We fight an make up like we've been married for decades, we protect each other, we worry about each other, we take care of each other, and we're…attracted to each other." She blushed. "But neither of us would stay in this engagement if we didn't have to, and everything happened so fast…It's like we're only feeling this was because we were forced together."

"Ceridwen, relax," he murmured in a gentle voice.

She took a deep breath, letting her tea rest on her stomach and her head fall back so that it was nestled under his chin. "I'm sorry, it's just…well, look at us now. If someone told us six months ago—no, _three weeks_ ago, that we'd be like this, we both would have hexed them back to the first war."

Severus took her cup to set it on the end table next to his so he could wrap his arms around her without spilling its contents all over them. "Hush. I will admit that the quick progression of our…relationship…was rather quick, and that I would end it if I could." She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off. "However—that would only be for propriety's sake."

Her tiny smile warmed him. "You still didn't answer my question."

"I'm not really sure what you want me to say."

"The truth."

"Then I don't know. We're together, but not. We're friends, but more."

"As evidenced yesterday morning."

He chuckled, nuzzling his face in her hair. "Yes."

* * *

The week passed too quickly. Ceridwen was anxious whenever Severus wasn't with her, and when he finally walked through the door after buying his wedding robes the next day, she vaulted off the sofa to throw her arms around his neck in a fierce hug; his answering embrace chased the breath from her lungs—they greeted each other this way every day.

Every night was spent curled up on the sofa or one of their beds, reading to each other or from their own books, taking about anything but Saturday, or just being together. Their sudden need to be near each other frightened them both; what would happen if either of them were injured? This indulgence of their fear would only make such a tragedy worse.

_The war never ended, _Severus thought one night as he listened to the slow, steady breathing of his young, sleeping fiancée. _The Dark Lord is gone, but we're still fighting. We're still losing people. I won't be surprised if at least one of us dies on Saturday. _"Just please don't let it be her. Anyone but her…" He'd come to care for her more than he ever thought he would; she made his heart race and breath hitch. It terrified him.

He eyed the ebony wand she would be using. _To whatever god will hear me…keep her safe._

* * *

Saturday at noon saw 12 Grimmauld Place full to bursting; one could scarcely move about the ground floor of the small house. Arthur had apparently gotten his hands on a few portkeys, so they'd be traveling to the Riddle house that way. Severus held Ceridwen close with one arm while his other hand touched their group's portkey just next to where she was clutching it.

The Riddle house had clearly been magnificent once, but with no one to take care of it for so many years, it had fallen into disrepair. The grounds were overgrown, tiles were missing, windows were broken, boarded up, or empty. Massive trees cast the entire manor in deep shadow, and light streaming from no more than five windows was the only thing that assured the party there were even any Death Eaters present.

"You all know your positions," Remus whispered. "Get yourselves sorted. We attack in five minutes exactly, whether we're all in place or not."

The small army scattered.

"Snape," Sirius called quietly over Ceri's head. They still had three minutes left.

The dark man turned his head, keeping his wand ready. "What, Black?"

"Let's say we call a truce tonight."

"Why—? Yeah, sure. I would assume that sort of thing would be implied."

"One would also assume that you knew telling Ceridwen about the plan was okay, but apparently not."

Ceri sent him a stinging jinx, glad to have bushes to cover up the light and that he didn't yelp when it him. "_Behave_," she hissed.

"What's the countdown say?" the Animagus asked rather than apologize.

She checked the enchanted pocket watch Arthur had given each healer. "Two minutes and thirty seconds."

"Bloody hell," he groaned.

"Oh, hush! You're a Gryffindor and your Animagus form—which you've had since before you graduated—has teeth and claws."

He could think of nothing to respond with.

None of them made a sound for the rest of the countdown. When Ceri's pocket watch vibrated in her hands, she tapped their shoulders twice at the same time. They, along with the other thirteen, charged from the grounds of the Riddle house and burst through its doors and first-floor windows.

Ceri was internally reduced to a ball of stress and desperation the moment Severus disappeared from her sight. Her mind dragged her through scenarios of his death without her permission, pictures of him lying in a pool of his own blood threatening to knock her off her feet. She went through what felt like thousands of circumstances in which he was trapped and unable to reach his wand or his Flare—the simple name the twins had given their mini-fireworks—and was tortured or killed. She couldn't decide which was worse.

It went on for hours. Only Neville's indigo and Luna's emerald Flares were seen, at least from where Ceri was standing.

She gasped. What if Sirius or Severus had sent out a Flare, but it was on the other side of the house?

There was no time for her to deliberate long on that, because just then, one golden Flare exploded right outside a second-floor window. She sprinted for the door she'd seen them take, but had to slow when she heard another Flare explode so she could see what color it was.

Gold.

"No!"

She flew up the stairs, hexing and jinxing wounded Death Eaters out of her way. When she reached the top, intuition told her to turn left. What she found was a drawing room with five living people in it: three Death Eaters she didn't recognize, an unconscious, bleeding Sirius Black, and a wandless Severus Snape backed into a corner—also bleeding, but from where she could not tell. Three other Death Eaters were in a heap on the ground near the fireplace.

On instinct, she wanted to rescue Severus first, but Sirius seemed to be in dire need of Molly. She knelt by his side to check his pulse, thankful that Severus' position put the Death Eaters' backs to her, and felt for his pulse. Slow, but steady. She performed a simple healing charm to avoid splinching him when she disapparated, levitated him into a standing position, circled his waist with her arms, and then they both disappeared with a _crack_.

In the kitchen of Sirius' home, Ceri "scared the daylights" out of Molly. With a speed apology, she gently laid her friend's godfather on the table and disapparated once more, this time reappearing in the drawing room of the Riddle house. "_Accio_ Severus Snape's wand," she whispered. It flew to her hand. Shaking her head that Severus' opponents still hadn't noticed her, she lightly grasped the end of his wand, caught his eye, and threw it to him like she was throwing a knife. She was a bit off her mark, but he got his hand around it nonetheless.

"_Sectumsempra_!" he cried, downing the wizard closest to him.

"_Avada Ke—"_

"_Reducto_!" She reduced the one on his left to dust. Her stomach twisted itself in knots as it was wont to do whenever she took a life. .

The last attempted to flee; Ceri cast _Impedimenta _to slow him down, allowing Severus to use his favorite curse again.

"How many are left?"

"None on this floor, I think." He stumbled, steadied himself on an armchair with his free hand, and moved his right up to his ribs with a grimace. It came away bright red. "Damn."

Ceri rushed to him, shoving her wand into her magically extended pocket. "Let me see." He straightened as well as he was able to allow her to look. She practically tore his frock coat and white linen shirt open to get to the wound; even though they were torn, the hole wasn't big enough to thoroughly examine the wound.

Which they both should have realized was something better done in Grimmauld Place, but he was disoriented from blood loss and she was irrational with worry.

A Death Eater stomped into the room with a wicked grin on her face. Severus inhaled sharply, roughly pushed Ceri behind him with the last bit of his strength, and trained his wand on the witch, who reminded him too much of Bellatrix. He hoped she couldn't tell how much he was relying on the armchair and Ceri to keep him standing.

She crept toward him, taking care to be quiet now, for a reason Severus could not fathom. He felt Ceri reaching for her wand behind him, praying she'd just get a hold of it already when the Death Eater raised her own wand in preparation to end them, still with that disconcerting curl to her mouth. Ceri disapparated them just as the curse left the Death Eater's lips and cut into them both.

They both collapsed on the floor of the front hall upon reappearing in Sirius' home, Severus barely holding onto consciousness and Ceri gasping for air.

* * *

A/N: *hides behind Tonks* Don't kill me! I'm about 200 words into the next chapter already, and I **promise** to have it up within 2 weeks ( or 1 if I have time)!


End file.
